The Legend Of Zelda
by sawyerzelda
Summary: sigh temporarily discontinued i hope one day to be inspired to pick this one up again...!
1. Ranchers

Disclaimer: nooo, i do NOT own the loz characters (namely zelda, link, impa, malon, saria, gannondorf, and any others i may use). nor do i own such items as the triforce the master sword and etc. THEY ARE NOT MINE!! but the story IS. it's my creation!! don't tell me i messed up stuff from the game b/c i DID IT ON PURPOSE!! loz characters and objects, my story!! SO THERE!!! c, i have this weird thing that malon and saria are sorta step- sister n all that...  
  
...........hope u like this..................  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Your majesty, are you suggesting that perhaps we send parts of our men to the other countries involved in the war....to hopefully reorganize them?"  
  
"Yes, Sir Brian," Zelda answed, shifting her attention towards him. "Who else would be better to send down to those poor countries other than ourselves? We're the ones who dragged them into this sordid affair, are we not?"  
  
"That is true, your highness," Sir Brian obliged, nodding his head. "But keep in mind that we have not always been allies with some of the countries you intend on helping. It could be rather dangerous."  
  
"Sir," Zelda said very slowly. "If I thought that doing this could endanger my soldiers in any way, I wouldn't even consider it. I've thought it over for nights and nights. I've written letters, and gotten answers, and now I have made my decision."  
  
"Perhaps you're tired from all the strenuous work you've done," Sir Brian said uncomfortably.  
  
Zelda wasn't exactly sure what he was getting at, but he made it seem as if she was not used to doing work at all. "Strenuous work, Sir Brian! And what do you think I have been doing ever since my father's death!?" The princess stood up. "Just sitting about, sewing, dreaming of purple horses and pink butterflies?! A princess has responsibilities, in case you didn't know! And I'll be hanged before I let a country slip away into wreckage because I let another soldier talk me into this war!"  
  
"Your highness, I meant no offense--"  
  
"I am tired of hearing your voice!" Zelda interrupted him. "It does nothing but contradict my words! You will give your men my orders, or I will see to it that you are dismissed! Get out! All of you!"  
  
There was a scuffle of chairs as the knights exited the room, and the princess slowly collapsed back into her chairs. "Those idiots," she muttered to herself, rubbing her temple with her fingers. She looked up. "Link! What're you still doing here?"  
  
Slowly, Link stood up. He walked across the room until he was standing right in front of Zelda's throne. "Princess, I've walked by your side through many of these casualties before. . .I know how hard it is on you. I wish you would confide in the others about he pain this is causing you."  
  
Zelda looked away from him. "I guess you see right through me, don't you? But if I don't keep up this image, Hyrule will never think me a suitable leader if I can't do things for myself!"  
  
"But it's hurting you!" Link protested. "I know you don't want to think about Zelda, but you've just got to take a rest some time."  
  
"Take a rest?!" Zelda repeated, getting to her feet once more. "Link, do you honestly believe that I have time to take a rest?! To just lie down and doze off while Hyrule and the countries around us are crumbling to the ground?! I can't do that, Link! Maybe you can, but I never could!"  
  
She raised a hand, hoping to land a smart slap across his face, but Link caught her wrist before she could make it. His expression showed one of regret, softness and understanding. Zelda choked on some tears and gradually sat back down.  
  
"I'm so sorry," she apologized, sniffling. "That was a horrid thing of me to say; implying that you could just lay around and let Hyrule suffer....I know you would die before doing such a thing....but that's only what I'm trying to do!"  
  
"I know," Link whispered. He placed his hand gently under her chin and tilted her head so she faced him. "Don't worry, Zelda. The war is over....you needn't worry yourself over anything for a while now." He straightened and began to walk out of the room, saying, "If it is your wish, I shall make certain that Sir Brian gives the knights your orders, your majesty."  
  
"Thank you," she whispered, as he shut the door behind him. 'What a fool I am!' Zelda thought to herself. 'Link should've been knighted ages ago...I must change that law making him too young!'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Saria, are you still out there?" Malon called from inside their house. "I told you to quit practicing and come in for dinner!"  
  
"I'll be there in just minute, I've one arrow left!" Saria called back. She raised an arrow to her bow, aimed at the target on the tree, and then fired. The arrow was sent whizzing forward, hitting the bullseye within two seconds. She was about sixty yards away from the tree.  
  
Malon rolled her eyes and continued to stir something she had in a bowl. She felt two hands suddenly grab her around the neck and pull her backwards. Instinctively, Malon reached for her dagger and swiped it behind her.  
  
She heard laughter as she was released and turned around to see her sister.  
  
"Saria!! Stop doing that!"  
  
"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist!" Saria laughed, sitting down at the table. "You just looked so vulnerable!" Malon was still giving her an icy glare. "What? I'm your sister, that's what I'm supposed to do!"  
  
"Well, I wish you'd stop," Malon said. "And maybe act your age, for once!"  
  
"Aw, come on, lighten up," Saria said, leaning back in her chair.  
  
"Would you be so kind as to give me a hand with this?" Malon asked. "Link should be arriving here any minute now."  
  
"Since when is Link coming?" Saria asked, jumping up. She happened to have a huge crush on him. "Why didn't you tell me?! Goddesses, I'd have been in here ages ago to help you out! Quick, tell me--what do I have to do?"  
  
"I thought that might snag your attention," Malon sighed, grinning. "Here, you can help me set the--"  
  
"Sure!" Saria said, whisking about the small room, setting plates and other things on the tabletop. She took a deep breath, then said, "Is there anything else at all that you could possibly wish me to do?"  
  
"Actually, I think that about covers it," Malon replied. Saria looked a little bit disappointed. There was a knock on the door. "Well, well, well, I wonder who in Hyrule THAT could be?" Malon laughed as Saria leapt to answer the door. "Maybe it's Princess Zelda," she added sarcastically.  
  
Saria opened the door wide, and Link smiled at her. "Hello, Saria, how are you?"  
  
"I'm fine, you?"  
  
"I'm all right, I think."  
  
"Please, do come inside, Link," Saria said.  
  
"Malon?" Link called, taking a step inside the house but not shutting the door. "Is it all right that I brought along a friend of mine? She has something rather important she wants to discuss with you....it was a little bit last second."  
  
"Oh, it's no problem at all," Malon said. "I'm afraid I made too much food, anyhow. Saria, come in and set an extra place, would you?"  
  
"All right," Saria agreed, walking back inside the kitchen.  
  
"Come on in, Zel," Link said, taking the Princess's arm and bringing her into the home. "No one's going to bite your head off."  
  
Cautiously, Zelda took a step inside the home and shut the door behind her. Link let go of her hand as she lowered her hood (it had been raining outside). "Oh, dear," Zelda sighed. "Link, we're soaking wet."  
  
"It's all right," Malon called from the kitchen. "A little bit of water never hurt anybod--OW!!" There was a crashing noise as Malon slipped on some water Saria had brought in from outside. "On second thought, perhaps you two had better dry off in the room down the hall."  
  
A few minutes later, Link and Zelda walked into the kitchen, where Saria and Malon were preparing to sit down.  
  
Malon fought to keep her mouth from dropping. Immediately she curtsied gracefully saying, "Good evening, your majesty. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? Oh, please, sit down."  
  
"Thank you," Zelda said, taking the chair across from Saria and next to Link. "Link tells me that you own a ranch of horses. Are you perhaps Malon of the Lon Lon Ranch?"  
  
"Yes, Princess, that's me," Malon said. "And this is my sister, Saria. We inherited the ranch after my father died two years ago."  
  
"I'm sorry about your loss," Zelda said, sounding as though she meant it. "I know how it feels to lose a father."  
  
"Thank you for your condolences, your majesty," Malon said.  
  
"But owning this ranch, I can only assume that you have a very large knowledge of horses and their....shall we say....habits. Would I be correct?"  
  
"Yes, you would, highness," Malon said. "I've been around horses and studying them nearly my whole life. May I help you in any way with your horses?"  
  
Zelda hesitated, then said, "My horse has been acting rather....strange lately. He won't let anyone ride him; not me, not Link, not anyone. And if you get too close to him, he tries to snap at you. He never used to do that before. Do you suppose that it might be some sort of stage he's going through?"  
  
"Puberty?" Saria asked, laughing shortly. Malon also let out a laugh, and Link smiled. Zelda, however, was not as amused.  
  
"I'm rather afraid that it's somewhat serious," Zelda said. "He has me worried. I was hoping that you might be able to stop by the castle at some time and give me a hand with him."  
  
Malon nodded, and said, "I've no time this evening, but perhaps tomorrow afternoon I could have a look at him. Would that suit you, your highness?"  
  
"It sounds very well to me," Zelda answered.  
  
"I'll stop by and pick you both up tomorrow, then," Link said. "You'll probably need me to get you through the front gates.  
  
"Excellent." Zelda stood up. "I apologize for coming and going so quickly, and I also apologize for the trouble you went to to set this extra place, but I'm afraid I must be going. I've a strenuous amount of work to be done back at home, and I'd best be getting a start at it."  
  
"Shall I escort you to the door, Zelda?" Link offered, beginning to get out of his seat.  
  
"No need to bother yourself," Zelda said, gently pressing her hand down on his shoulder, forcing him back down into his chair. "I do believe that I can manage my way to the front door. Thank you, though." She turned to Malon. "Tomorrow, then. Lovely to have met you both."  
  
"Lovely to have met you, as well, your highness," Malon said.  
  
"Yes," Saria concurred.  
  
"Good-bye." Zelda headed out of the kitchen, raised her hood, and walked out of the front door.  
  
"Good Goddesses!" Saria exclaimed, slumping in her seat. "You'd think that that Princess could smile at a joke every now and then!"  
  
"Oh, Saria," Malon sighed. "I'm sure that her highness had her reasons for being so....cynical."  
  
"You two shouldn't be so hard on her," Link reprimanded lightly. "The Princess is underneath a lot of stress now. Neither of you know how many responsibilities she's got nowadays, and its rather hard work. Having her horse feeling ill really isn't helping."  
  
There was an uncomfortable pause.  
  
"So I noticed that you were on first-name terms with her," Malon said, poking at something on her plate with her fork. "I found that a little bit interesting." She looked up into his eyes. "Though I do hope I'm not prying."  
  
"No, not at all," Link said. "I do not always call her by name; I usually don't. But the Princess and I have known each other for such a very long time, and she eventually decided that it was unnecessary for me to use her title. Especially since we were such good....friends."  
  
Saria squinted as she saw the light in Link's eyes shift slightly. "Well, I do hope that we can help her horse," she said loudly, hoping to snap him out of his sudden stupor. "She said the problem is serious."  
  
"It is," Link said. "I hope you were not to offended when she didn't laugh at your joke about puberty."  
  
"No offense was taken," Saria replied hastily. "But she seemed so gloomy and forlorn, and it was only an attempt to cheer her up."  
  
"Well, I can assure you that she looks lovely when she smiles," Link said.  
  
"I'm sure she does," said Malon.  
  
Later that night.........  
  
Zelda heard a knock on her door as she was brushing her hair. "Come in," she said, putting down the brush and turning around to see who it was.  
  
Link stepped inside and shut the door behind him.  
  
"Link!!" Zelda said, scandalized, as she was wearing nothing but a pearl white night gown. "Why didn't you tell me it was you at the door?!" In an attempt to cover herself, she flew to the closet and threw on a blue robe.  
  
"You told me to some in," Link said, grinning.  
  
"Well yes, but I thought you were Impa," Zelda sighed with exasperation.  
  
"In that case, you thought wrong," Link teased her.  
  
"Well, what is it you want?" Zelda asked. "You didn't climb up those two-hundred and fifty-four stairs just to see me in my nightgown, did you?"  
  
"You've counted them?" Link asked in astonishment.  
  
Zelda shrugged. "I have to do SOMEthing to entertain myself while I'm scaling them. But you didn't answer my question. Why did you come up?"  
  
Link paused, then said, "It's two things, actually.I wanted you to confirm what time I should go over to Lon Lon Ranch and pick up Malon and Saria."  
  
"I don't know, I guess sometime before lunch," Zelda answered, sitting down on her bed. "That way they can stay for it if they wish."  
  
"Nothing would please Saria more than to dine in a castle," Link said. "It's pretty much been her dream since she was a little girl."  
  
"And what was the second thing you came up here for?" Zelda inquired.  
  
"To see you in your nightgown," Link joked, grinning.  
  
"Oh, I wish you would't make such scandalous jokes at this time of night," Zelda sighed. "I'm too tired for them. Don't take this personally, Link, but I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave. If Impa finds you up here, we're both as good as dead, and I'm also much too tired to hold up a conversation."  
  
"I understand," Link said, bowing. "Good-night, your highness."  
  
"Good-night."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 


	2. Succumbing

sry i havent updated 4 so long! my computer had a virus and i couldnt get on the Internet! but everythings fine now!! YAY!!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"You girls ready to go yet?"  
  
"Yeah, Malon will be out in a second," Saria answered. She walked up to the horse Link was riding and stroked her mane. "Oh, your horse is beautiful, Link! What's her name?"  
  
"Epona," Link answered, beaming.  
  
Malon came out from the stables riding one of her horses. "Hate to say it, Saria, but your horse appears to be feeling a little sick today. I don't advise you to go riding him all the way to the palace."  
  
"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Saria. "Poor Sam! How ill is he? Do you think I should stay here with him?"  
  
"Oh, I don't think that's quite necessary," Malon answered. "He'll be fine until we get back, you needn't worry. You can ride one of the other horses."  
  
"Malon, you seem to forget that nearly all the other horses were given to the soldiers who are helping those poor countries; and all the rest never let me ride them unless it's an emergency. I'd better stay with Sam to comfort him."  
  
"Oh, don't be ridiculous," Link said. "C'mon, get on behind you."  
  
Saria stared at him dumbly for a moment. "Y-you mean--"  
  
"He means to get on Epona behind him," Malon said loudly. She grinned and winked at her sister.  
  
Smiling, Saria stepped onto Epona (she nearly slipped, because Epona was so much bigger than Sam; but she made a quick recovery). She steadied herself and then hesitated, wondering if she should put her arms around him or not.  
  
"You'd better hold on tight," Link advised her. "Epona can ride pretty fast when she feels like it."  
  
"Okay," Saria agreed, putting her arms around his waist and smiling happily to herself. "About how far away is the castle anyhow?"  
  
"Not too far off on horseback," Link answered, kicking Epona's flanks and starting her off. "But it would take you a while if you were just on foot. Hey Malon, can you keep up?"  
  
"Har, har," Malon said, driving her horse faster. "Just because Epona earned the title of the Fastest Horse o' Hyrule doesn't mean that Thorton can't match up!"  
  
"What kind of name is Thorton, anyway?" Saria asked.  
  
"Well, what kind of name is EPONA?!" Malon said back, finally drawing level with Link.  
  
****  
  
Zelda looked at the approaching horses from the stables. Her ears turned a pinkish color when she noticed Saria gripping Link as if her life depended on it. Gr. The princess turned away and walked up to her horse's pen.  
  
"The stable's right over there," Link said, hopping off of Epona and then lifting Saria off. "C'mon."  
  
"C'mon," Zelda said, tentatively approaching her horse, Dusk. "C'mon, just let me take you out for a minute."  
  
Dusk stepped back in his pen as Zelda cautiously opened the door to it. His nonstrils flared and he let out a soft whinny.  
  
"Don't be scared, you're okay," Zelda said in the same soft voice, stepping closer. "I don't want to hurt you, just calm down."  
  
She reached out a hand to touch his mane as Link opened the door to the stable. In that split second, Dusk reared back on his hind legs, screeching horribly; and his hoof reached out and slammed into the Princess's jaw, sending her flying back into the wall of the stable behind her.  
  
"Zel!" Link shouted, rushing towards her. She sat up, clutching her chin. "Goddesses, Zelda! Are you okay?!"  
  
"I'll be fine," she answered, getting to her feet with Link's aid. "He didn't hit me full-force with that hoof, I managed to dodge it slightly. Ow--but my back's in a bit of pain from crashing into this wall here. Don't worry, I'll be fine."  
  
"Woah, boy! Calm down!" Malon said, attempting to grab the reins that Zelda had already placed on him. "Good Goddesses, he's furious at something! What happened?!"  
  
"Nothing, that's the problem!" Zelda said, grabbing Malon away from another of Dusk's flailing hooves. "I simply went up to touch his mane, and he went mad on me! Simply insane!"  
  
She pretty much had to shout, because Dusk was making such a commotion in the background.  
  
Saria's hand darted upward and she yanked on the horse's rein. "What's his name, it's very important!"  
  
"Dusk!" Zelda and Link answered.  
  
"C'mon, calm down, Dusk!" Saria said. "Malon, grab the other rein! That's it, yank down on it! Good!" Seizing the moment, Saria reached up with her free hand and threw it around Dusk's neck. She felt it throb beaneath her arm.  
  
Dusk wheezed in complaint, trying to jerk his neck out of Saria's grasp, and bite her at the same time. It felt as if her arm might rip off at any moment.  
  
"Stop, you'll choke him to death!" Link protested.  
  
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing!" Saria said. Two seconds later, Dusk was mute, and he collapsed to the dirty floor (shaking the place). Malon let go of the rein and it fell limply by his side.  
  
"Good Goddesses!" exclaimed Zelda, walking over to her horse. "What did you DO to him?!"  
  
"No need for worry, your highness," Saria said, standing up and brushing herself off. "By putting a certain amount of pressure on his jugular, he's passed out--he'll be out for a couple hours. But no serious damage has been done to him whatsoever. When he wakes up, he won't remember any of what happened."  
  
"All right, but that doesn't really help his condition at all, does it?" Zelda asked.  
  
"Nope," Malon answered. "Your horse is a case, highness. Never seen anything like that. I mean, I know horses get angry and all that, but he should be a lot easier to calm him down....and I don't exactly like the way his eyes were rolling back into his head like that. Did you notice, highness?"  
  
"Yes, I did," Zelda answered, shivering. "My mother used to always tell me to look into a horse's eyes to control him, but it's somewhat difficult when you don't have much of an eye to look into." She laughed a hollow laugh, giving the impression to her fellows that she was attempting to steady herself. "Nothing I've done has worked to calm him down."  
  
"I'll have to give this some thought, Princess," Malon said after a silence. "I'm not sure what to do."  
  
"I understand completely," Zelda said. "Won't you two stay for lunch, though? It would make me feel dreadful to have you two just come and go."  
  
"If we wouldn't be in the way, we would love joining you two," Malon said.  
  
"Of course you wouldn't be in the way," said Link. "Otherwise, the Princess would not have invited you."  
  
The four of them laughed. 'I suppose Link was right,' Saria thought as they all trooped back towards the castle. 'The princess does look rather becoming when she smiles. And I wonder how often THAT is.'  
  
Malon and Saria drifted a bit behind Link and Zelda, the former saying, "What do you think of the Princess, Saria?"  
  
"I'm not sure," Saria answered, shrugging her shoulder. "She has a certain gravity around her, like she never smiles or laughs or anything. But she appears very strong, to have said she experienced no pain in that incident."  
  
"That might've just been an image she was trying to keep," Malon said. "But she seems like a rather brave person, and also somewhat ni--"  
  
"You two had better catch up," they heard Zelda say. "It's very easy to get lost in this place if you don't know your way around."  
  
"Sure took me a while," Link laughed.  
  
"That's because you're an exception," Zelda said, as they continued to walk (and Saria and Malon had caught up a bit). She patted his shoulder lightly. "It takes you a bit longer to contemplate things than other elves."  
  
Link gasped mockingly. "Does the fair princess dare to insult the brave Hero?! What a scandal!"  
  
"Oh, why, look," Zelda said rather loudly. "It's the dining room already."  
  
****  
  
It happened while they were in the middle of eating. A loud explosion was heard just as Saria was asking Zelda about the shrubberies in the garden. She stopped mid-sentence, and they all sped out of the castle as fast as they could.  
  
"The stables!" Malon cried, once they had gotten outdoors. "It's been burnt down to a crisp!"  
  
"Oh my Goddesses!" Zelda shouted. "It's Dusk! Someone's riding off with him--I'd recognize that prodigious horse of mine anywhere!"  
  
"But how can he be concious?!" Saria asked in astonishment. "He was supposed to be out for two hours!"  
  
"That's one strong horse you've got there, Princess," Malon said, clearly giving an understatement.  
  
"Look, there are some of the horses over there, follow me!" Zelda said, running over to a pack of steeds who had managed to evacuate the burning stables.  
  
Link leapt on top of Epona, and Malon quickly mounted Thorton. Zelda put her foot up over the saddle of Impa's horse, and motioned for Saria to take another. "Come on, we've got to follow him!"  
  
Epona, being the fastest, neared Dusk first. Link reached for the Master Sword at his back and swiped out at the man riding the Princess's horse. Dusk retaliated by slamming into Epona full-force, nearly toppling her over.  
  
But she wasn't going to be taken down that easily. She snapped back at Dusk, who eluded her and then snapped back even faster. The attack caught Epona by surprise, and she came to a sudden halt.  
  
The man riding Dusk twisted around and shot an arrow towards Link. In order to avoid it, he quickly flipped off of Epona, only to realize shortly thereafter that he had no where to land.  
  
"You showoff, get on my horse!" Zelda shouted to him, after Link landed on the ground a few yards in front of her. She reached out a hand, and he grabbed it hastily, pulling himself onto the horse behind her. "Malon, Saria!"  
  
"He's getting away!" Malon shouted.  
  
"I think you two had better get back to the ranch!" Zelda continued. "The horse Saria's riding looks like he's getting a bit weak, hurry!"  
  
"C'mon, Saria!" Malon called to her, pulling sharply on the reins of her horse and turning him down a road. "We'll be back!"  
  
The rider pulled out another arrow and shot it at Link and Zelda.  
  
"Ho!" Link said, ducking to elude the arrows. "There were THREE of those! How did he do it?! I thought there was only one!"  
  
"No time to concentrate on that!" Zelda said back. "He's got my horse, and he obviously doesn't think it's a problem to try and murder us!"  
  
Saria and Malon flew down the path leading to their ranch. Saria jumped off her horse and ran towards the house.  
  
"Where are you going?!" Malon asked her. "We need to go to the stables, not the house!"  
  
"What we need are weapons!" Saria said, coming to a temporary stop. "Come on!"  
  
Malon slowed down Thorton on the other side of the house, caught up to Saria and ran into the house. They headed for the first room they saw and opened the drawer with all the weapons inside it. Saria pulled a bow off the wall and gathered all her arrows. Malon grabbed a dagger and a bottle filled with toxic poison (like there was any other kind of poison). They turned to leave, but stopped when they saw someone blocking their exit.  
  
A group of moblins, each holding something ominous and lethal slowly approached them.  
  
"And where do you two plan on going with those?" one of them asked quietly. "No need to be frightened, girls. We noticed one of your horses was wounded, so we're just giving it a little help. But now we want you to help us."  
  
"Get away, you moblins!" Saria screamed at them, firing an arrow towards them.  
  
The head moblin held up his shield, and the arrow bounced off of it harmlessly. Then the moblin picked it up and threw it towards Saria, like a miniature spear. She gasped then ducked; and the arrow shattered an empty vase behind her.  
  
The rest of the moblins lifted up arrows and shot them towards the two sisters. Malon and Saria leapt up, barely missing the arrows and the flying glass of objects they hit. Both were going in the same general direction: up.  
  
Malon scaled a tall shelf of breaking objects, and Saria had made her way to the top of a tall chest of drawers. In a rather daring move, she leapt across the length of the room onto the shelf Malon was on.  
  
The moblins shot in vain at her as she glided, their arrows crashing through a glass window on the ceiling.  
  
"Thank you!" Malon said, jumping through the opening and onto the roof, Saria following. "You'll have to use that old bag of bones you got at the palace, Saria, if you want to get out of here alive!"  
  
Thorton looked up at Malon from the ground, his head cocked towards the stable.  
  
"About face!" Malon barked.  
  
Instantly, Thorton turned around, and Malon leapt from the roof onto his back. She nearly slipped off, but regained her balance and rode off. "Saria, come on!"  
  
Saria hesitated. Then she let out a mighty battle roar and flew towards the horse beneath her. As she had pretty much expected, the horse moved away at the last second, leaving Saria to crash onto the dirty ground.  
  
"I heard a noise from out there!" one of the moblins said.  
  
As quickly as she could, Saria mounted the horse and followed Malon back into the woods.  
  
*****  
  
"I can't believe we lost him!" Zelda mourned, back at the castle. "How did he just disappear like that?!"  
  
"I don't know," Link said shrugging. "It was like one minute he was there, and the next he was gone. Hey, I hear horses--I think Malon and Saria must've come back! Let's go and see them."  
  
Link and Zelda hurried out of the castle, and indeed saw Malon and Saria dismounting their horses and walking towards them.  
  
"Saria, you've got an arrow in your boot!" Zelda said.  
  
"I do?" Saria asked, looking down. She laughed and yanked it out. "I guess so."  
  
"What happened?" Link asked, upon noticing that both of them were covered in sweat in and some cuts.  
  
"When we got there, our whole house had been filled by moblins!" Malon answered. "Well actually, they kinda snuck up on us. We had gone inside to get some weapons, and then they came out of nowhere! So then they started shooting arrows at us, and we only escaped death by going up onto the roof."  
  
"That's terrible!" Zelda said. "I'm so sorry; they're probably going to make a wreck of your home--and your stables, too! The two of you had better stay here for the next few days, unless you have a secret death wish, of course."  
  
"You are too kind to keep us, milady," Malon said, bowing slightly. "There must be something we can do in return."  
  
"Not at all!" Zelda said. "I'd be even worse than a moblin if I were to send you back to your home in its current stage, you must stay! Impa will help you with your rooms, come along with me. C'mon."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Later that night, Link knocked on Zelda's door. "Come in," he heard her say. He gulped and then opened the door.  
  
"I hope I'm not disturbing you or intruding, Princess," Link said, walking into the room and closing the door behind him.  
  
"Of course not," Zelda said, standing up. "But this time I was prepared, in case it was you. Please notice the robe." She smiled, and Link laughed.  
  
"I see. Very nice."  
  
"Do you know if Malon and Saria are comfortable in their rooms? I do hope that Impa gave them the good ones."  
  
"Yes, Saria's mouth dropped when she saw the interior of her room," Link chuckled. "I know that their gratitude is beyond words, your higness."  
  
There was a silence between them, a loud silence. Both knew that the other was thinking of the events that had happened that very day. It was clearly etched on their faces.  
  
"I know you're feeling distraught," Link whispered, taking her face in his hands and then stepping back. "And I know you've already got an immense load on your shoulders, so please just ask me whenever you need help."  
  
"Link," Zelda said, taking a step towards him and hugging him tightly. "I know I can always depend on you; you're the best friend I've got in the world. My only friend, really. Well, except for Impa, of course."  
  
"It's an honor to be of service to you," Link said, embracing her back and being overwhelmed by the silken texture of her golden hair. He could get lost in it....but then Zelda walked out of his arms and backed up to her bed.  
  
"You needn't always be so formal around me, Link," Zelda whispered, her eyes inviting him to step closer. As he did so, the Princess noticed for the first time the way that his soft, golden bangs fell into his crystalline eyes, the way he walked when his sword did not weigh him down. So desirable....  
  
Zelda looked away instantly, her face reddening, shocked at herself for looking at him in such a way. He was only a friend, a companion.  
  
'Yeah, right,' said a little voice in her head.  
  
She wanted to feel his hands on her face again. They made her feel so protected and safe, like she didn't have to worry about anything in the world anymore. But she couldn't just ask him straight out to touch her again. The Princess looked up into Link's eyes, as if conveying the message to him telepathically.  
  
Zelda twitched as she felt her robe slide off of her shoulders, until it was in a heap on the floor. Though scantily clad, she felt no need to cover herself, as Link had been the one to take off her robe.  
  
"Link...."  
  
But she was stopped after that, for Link had taken the moment to put his arms around her and move his lips onto her upper neck. His kisses began to travel upwards as she fell back onto the bed, Link nearly right on top of her.  
  
Her hands reached out and found his face, and she gently lifted them until he was facing her directly. Link moved up until he was level with her, and then Zelda unexpectedly rolled on top of him and slid her tongue inside his mouth.  
  
So it was a daring first move. But Goddesses, did it feel good!  
  
She was safe; safe from any harm that could ever come to her, now that Link was holding onto her. He was fencing her in from all the dangers in the world, and she didn't ever want him to leave her side.  
  
The moist tenderness of his tongue was intoxicating with all its pleasures, and Zelda felt her breathing get harder and harder, and her body getting hotter and hotter.  
  
Finally, the two pulled away from each other, their lips quivering from wanting to feel the other's touch again. Their arms were still tightly holding onto each other; and Zelda didn't know how it had happened, but she was suddenly underneath him again.  
  
"Goddesses," Zelda said in the quietest of whispers. "Link, I--I...." She didn't know what to say. She was breathless--literally.  
  
Link quickly sat up. "I'm sorry, Princess, that was extremely ill- mannered of me."  
  
"Don't be ridiculous," Zelda said, putting an arm around him and leaning her head on his shoulder. "You did nothing ill-mannered, in my opinion, nothing whatsoever. Besides, I also...." She again found herself not knowing how to finish a sentence.  
  
"It was still rude of me," Link said, blushing.  
  
"Link, stop," Zelda murmured. "You're the only one I've ever wanted. Ever since we first became friends all those years ago. But I didn't know until just few minutes ago how much I really--love you." She leaned towards him and kissed him one last, short time. "But I don't see how we can-- IMPA!!"  
  
"How we can Impa?" Link repeated in confusion.  
  
"No, no, the footsteps!" Zelda said, hurriedly putting her robe back on. "Don't you hear them? It's Impa, she's coming to check up on me! Uh, quick! Go stand over there!"  
  
Impa knocked on the door and opened it to see Zelda sitting with her legs crossed on the bed, and Link standing in the corner staring at a bookshelf. Her eyes squinted. "All right. What's going on in here?"  
  
"Nothing," Zelda answered innocently. "Why do you have that suspicious tone in your voice, Impa?"  
  
"Don't you give me that look of innocence," Impa said, still not convinced. "Why are you up here, Link?"  
  
"Uh, her highness asked me to tell her how the two ladies liked their rooms once they were settled."  
  
"Was it necessary to meet in her room?"  
  
"I suppose not, Impa," Link said. "But I thought it rather unfair to ask a lady to climb up and down those stairs twice in such a short amount of time. I did it only out of consideration for the Princess."  
  
"So nice of you," Zelda said, beaming.  
  
Impa's eyes narrowed again. She looked at the two of them, her arms crossed. "Okay then. But from now on, Link, please allow me to supply her highness with the information she desires."  
  
"Very well," Link said.  
  
"Come with me, now, lad."  
  
"Good night, your highness," Link said, exiting the room and bowing.  
  
"Good night."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
a/n:  
  
hope u liked!! i AM GOING TO UPDATE MORE AFTER THIS!! YAY!! 


	3. Fire

yippee, another chapter!!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Link, I'm afraid I've got some horrific news," Zelda said two mornings later, showing him a letter she'd just gotten. "It's Sir Brian and his men, down in Kiara .... they've all been massacred."  
  
"Massacred?" Link asked, taking the letter and skimming over it. "Oh my Goddesses! By--by moblins!"  
  
"And apparently, it's not the first attack," Zelda said quietly. "There was another in Zhulin. They said that Gannondorf is behind it."  
  
"Who else?" Link asked darkly. "He'll never stop with these massacres and careless killings until he gets his hands on the Triforce." He walked over to Zelda, who was sitting on a chair with her head in her hands. "Don't worry, Zel." She stood up and put her arms around him. "I won't let him do anything to you. He'll never get the Triforce, I promise you."  
  
"But how can you be sure?" Zelda whispered. "The dreams I've been having are so....they make it seem as if Ganon is going to take Hyrule right from underneath my fingers. And I can't let that happen, Link!"  
  
"I know," he whispered. "I know."  
  
She tightened her grip on him. "Thanks for always being there for me, Link. I don't know what I'd do without you."  
  
Saria and Malon walked into the library where all this was happening. The former took a step back from shock. Malon glanced at her sympathetically, as if saying, 'This might not be what it looks like...."  
  
"Oh! Malon, Saria, sorry, I didn't notice you there," Zelda said upon seeing them, quickly backing out of Link's arms. "Link and I were just discussing s-some of the massacres going on down south." She passed the letter to Malon.  
  
"That's terrible," Malon muttered, skimming the note. "Moblins again! Those wretched beasts, they destroy everything! Gannondorf is will suffer for all of this, I know he will! He must!"  
  
"We cannot expect a story-book ending from all this," Zelda said. "It could end in disaster. He wants the Triforce, and I highly doubt that anything will make him stop until he is defeated once and for all. And, as we all know, that is not going to be an easy task."  
  
Link glanced over at Saria, who was still hesitating by the doorway. Then he looked away, and said, "There was something I meant to tell you, Princess."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I went down to the market today and I found nearly all of the carts overturned," Link said. "I asked some elves what had happened and they said that they'd been raided by moblins. Not only did they steal food and possessions, but several of the horses were taken as well."  
  
"Again with the horses," Zelda sighed.  
  
"But that's just it," Link said. "One lady said her horse had been acting as gentle and kind as usual that morning, until she tied it to a post while she bought some jewelry for her daughter. After the moblin attack, she said her horse looked as if he had gone mad, trampling elves and mauling them at the same time."  
  
"So there was slaughter involved as well?" Zelda asked.  
  
"Yes. These moblin raids are getting out of control. How many knights do we still have in Hyrule?"  
  
"Half of them," Zelda sighed. "I sent one quarter of the army down to Kiara and the another to Zhulin....we've only got the ones at home left. And those are not enough to defeat Gannondorf and his army."  
  
"Malon, Saria, would you two go and find Impa, please?" Link asked.  
  
"Yes, of course," Malon said, as the two of them exited the room.  
  
"Oh Link, what can Impa do for us now?" Zelda asked.  
  
"I don't know," he answered. "But I was just thinking that I should go out and help the others fight. You know I'd do well at it; and besides-- I've had experiecnce fighting against Gannondorf before."  
  
"I know," Zelda said, standing up. "But Link, I'd be too afraid of losing you!"  
  
"We can't worry about that now," Link said. "This is about protecting Hyrule, and I know that's what you want most in your heart. Even if it means putting me out there in the front line."  
  
Zelda looked down and was silent for a few moments. "If....if you were to go out into battle, I would follow you to my death."  
  
Link's eyes widened. "Zelda, you can't do that! I know you're strong enough, but if--if something were to happen to you, Hyrule would have no leader! No one to guide them, you can't go!"  
  
"But I'm doing this for Hyrule, Link!" Zelda protested. "And besides, what would you do with the Triforce if you ever got it? They belong to me, and only I can use it! You need me to go with you!"  
  
"All right, what's the problem?" asked Impa, entering the library with Saria and Malon not too far behind. "These two said it was important."  
  
"It is, Impa," Zelda said. She handed her the letter. "Read it."  
  
"Oh no...."  
  
"Link and I decided we should send out reinforcements," Zelda said. "But it just occured to me that some should stay here to protect Hyrule in our absence."  
  
"In who's absence?" Impa asked, looking up. "You aren't thinking of going too, are you Zelda?"  
  
"Uh, actually, I was," Zelda said. "You see, seeing as how you need me to use the Triforce, I thought that I should go if they should manage to get a hold of it."  
  
Impa stared at her. Then her gaze shifted to Link, and back to Zelda. "That is a wise decision, your majesty. And I believe that I may have acquired some information you might find useful on your escapade."  
  
"Wait, you actually agree with me?" Zelda asked, dumbfounded.  
  
"Of course I do," Impa replied, taking a large book off one of the shelves. "You're eighteen, Zelda, almost nineteen. You're old enough to make these kinds of decisions on your own."  
  
Malon was floored. By the way the Princess carried herself and presented herself, she had guessed that she had been twenty or older. But that would've been awkward, because Link himself was only nineteen. She noticed Saria's hands clench into small fists for some reason, but said nothing.  
  
"Oh my Goddesses, Impa!" Zelda exclaimed, astonished. "Where did you find this?"  
  
"It's something of a long story," Impa sighed. "But you see, that book has been laying underneath your mother's old bed for the past eleven years, and I never bothered to pick it up until a couple weeks ago."  
  
"Why didn't you show this to me before?"  
  
Impa shrugged. "I was waiting for the oppurtune moment."  
  
"If I'm not prying, what is it?" Saria asked, walking over with her sister.  
  
"It's a map of Ancient Hyrule," Zelda said excitedly. "And there's the Triforce, right at--at--oh, schist."  
  
"Death Mountain," Link said. "Great. Right underneath Ganon's nose! But what's funny, though, is that he doesn't even know it's there."  
  
"Amusing indeed," sighed Impa. "Your majesty, may I make a suggestion?"  
  
"Please do."  
  
"Divide what is left of your army into parts and send some off to Kiara, Zhulin, and any other country that is being raided by moblins. Then you and a smaller group should go towards Death Mountain to retrieve the Triforce."  
  
Zelda glanced at Link, then said, "Impa, I think that's a wonderful idea! Why didn't I think of it before? Oh, you're a genius!"  
  
"You flatter me."  
  
"Please, if we could be of any service, we'd be more than eager to help you on your quest," Malon said, bowing. "It would be the utmost honor to serve our country on behalf of our Princess."  
  
"It's going to be dangerous you know," Impa informed them.  
  
"I think they can handle it," Link said, grinning and slapping Saria hard on the back. "These two have guts, I think, and they know how to use their weapons. Isn't that right, girls?"  
  
"Sure is, if I do say so myself," Saria said.  
  
"Well then, why not join us?" Zelda asked. "We could use all the help we can get with this. You two are in. Perhaps you could both accompany Link and I as the 'smaller group' that goes to Death Mountain. Then--"  
  
"Zelda," Link interrupted. "When Impa said a 'small group,' I think she meant more than four people."  
  
"No I didn't," Impa said.  
  
"....oh."  
  
"As Malon said, it would be an honor, your highness," Saria said, bowing. "When do we leave?"  
  
"As soon as possible," Zelda said. "So if you'll excuse me, I must go and speak with what remains of my loyal army." With a sigh, she hugged Impa and the two of them exited the library.  
  
"Do you two still have your weapons with you?" Link asked.  
  
"Yes," answered Saria. "But I'm going to need another horse. I'm still too nervous to go back to my home, and the one I have from here looks about ready to keel over and die, I'm afraid."  
  
"There's probably another horse around here some where," Link said. "So don't worry about it. I'll go find one for you now." After another awkward moment, he quickly walked out of the room.  
  
The two sisters were left in the library, staring uncertainly at each other.  
  
"Are you nervous about this?" Malon asked. "I shouldn't have volunteered you if you didn't want to do it."  
  
"Don't be stupid," Saria said. "I think it'll be exciting. And besides, what would the Princess think of me if you asked to help and I didn't? She'd think I was a frightened baby, that's what. And I want her respect more than anything!"  
  
Malon's eyebrows raised. "Really? After what we saw a few minutes ago, I wouldn't think that....you'd...." She stopped mid-sentence. There was a silence between the two of them, each recalling the passionate embrace they had walked in on earlier.  
  
"Do you think that he likes her?" Saria asked quietly, rubbing her arms with her hands.  
  
"I don't know," Malon said, just as softly. "They could've just been...."  
  
"No, he does! You know it!" Saria said. "And what chance do I have against Princess Zelda? Me, a homely, skinny little forest imp, and her! A gorgeous, accomplished brave royal! Link will never appreciate me!"  
  
"Saria, you aren't homely at all!" Malon said, walking over and hugging her sister. "You mustn't say such things! And you're brave too, you know it! And Link appreciates you, he does!"  
  
"But she's a Prin--"  
  
"Even if Link DID like her, it wouldn't be for her title!" Malon interjected. "Don't you even think of calling him cheap like that!"  
  
Saria was silenced. "This is pathetic," she muttered. "Me, worrying about a stupid little childish crush, when the country is in danger of crumbling. I need to stop my foolish ways, and I think I have." She looked up at Malon and half-smiled. "Wouldn't mother be happy? I've aged a million years in just two seconds."  
  
And with that, she walked out of the room.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Good-bye, Impa," Zelda said four days later. "I hope you stay well, and that you will help protect the castle and the Hylians while we are gone."  
  
"Don't worry about me, or about Hyrule, Princess," Impa said, embracing her. "And I know you will succeed on your mission....I've p- prayed to the Goddesses to bring you luck." She began to sniffle a little bit, tears coursing down her cheeks.  
  
"Don't cry for us, Impa," Zelda said, smiling. "Link and I know how to handle ourselves, and I'm sure Malon and Saria do as well. And who knows? We might be home quicker than you think."  
  
And then they were off. None of them knew when they would return or what would happen on this expedition, but all were praying for the best.  
  
Obviously.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
By nightfall they had set up camp. All of them were exhausted from a day of riding and arguing about directions (it took them a while to find out which way was north on their map, until Link discovered the Compass Rose in the bottom corner), and were eager to lie down and rest a bit.  
  
But tomorrow they would have to be more careful about where they slept, because they would be entering a region of Wolfos and Skullkids.  
  
"Link, I can't sleep," Zelda murmured in the middle of the night. "Are you awake?"  
  
"Well, I am now."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"It's okay."  
  
"It's just that I'm afraid of going to sleep. I don't want to have another dream about Gannondorf and his moblins destroying countries. I get them every time drift off, I can't help it."  
  
There was a silence, and Zelda wondered if he had fallen asleep again. "Come here," Link finally said. "So I can see you."  
  
She hastily picked up her blanket and moved over towards him. "Holy Din, it's freezing out here." Zelda shivered and leaned into Link's shoulder.  
  
He rubbed her arm and said, "Well, I'm closer to what's left of the fire over here, so maybe it'll warm you up a little."  
  
The Princess grinned and said, "Your doing more for me than the flame."  
  
Link reddened, and fortunately the darkness covered his blush so Zelda didn't see it. He sighed and whispered in her ear, "My passion for you is like a flame in a hearth. It grows larger and brighter each time I feel or see you....and like the fire, my love for you will never end until I am gone from this world forever."  
  
"That was very beautiful," Zelda said quietly, blushing fiercely. "Who wrote it?"  
  
"My dear, that was a poem I wrote eight years ago," Link answered. "In a small love letter to a certain little princess."  
  
"That note was from YOU?" Zelda asked. "I had no idea! You never signed it, and I--oh, I knew it sounded familiar! Not a bad poem for someone who was only eleven years old."  
  
"I'm glad I made a lasting impression," Link said, nibbling her ear gently.  
  
"Oh, stop," Zelda giggled, pushing him away. "What would Impa do if she was here, Link?"  
  
"Well, she'd either die from laughter, or drive a stake through my heart," Link answered. Then, in one cobra-slick move, he pushed her down to the ground. "But Impa's not here, is she?"  
  
"No," Zelda breathed. She put her arms up around Link and brought him down on top of her. The Princess ran her hands through his hair, then sighed and kissed his eager lips ardently.  
  
His hands cradled her slightly, brushing through her hair and stroking her face. Zelda's lips moved down Link's neck, moaning with satisfaction. She wondered if Link's flame was burning as bright as hers was.  
  
Malon awoke as she heard a rustling sound in the grass not to far away. Instinctively she reached for her dagger and sat up slightly. She stared for a moment, then silently lowered herself back down. The noise was only Link and Zelda tumbling about in the grass by the fire.  
  
'So Saria was right,' Malon thought to herself. 'Oh, Goddesses, she's going to die when she hears about this.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
a/n: hope yall liked that! the next chapter is already in progress!! 


	4. The Princess and the Moblin

well heres more of this story i hope u like!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The next morning, Zelda woke up to find herself in Link's arms. She laughed softly to herself, then nudged Link slightly to wake him up.  
  
"C'mon, Link, wake up. We should be leaving pretty soon."  
  
"Mmm?" he asked drowsily, turning over in his sleep.  
  
"Get up."  
  
"Wha? I didn hear you...."  
  
Smiling, Zelda nuzzled her head close to Link's and whispered, "It's time to wake up." She ran her tongue quickly over his ear.  
  
This caused him to jump and sit up. "Oh! Sorry, where you saying something?" He rubbed his head.  
  
"Well, you're up now, anyways," Zelda laughed getting to her feet. "It looks like Malon and Saria are still sleeping, let's wake them up. But you know something, Link?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I didn't have any of those horrid dreams last night." Zelda giggled. "Perhaps it's a sign. What do you think?"  
  
"I think that as long as you've got me, you've got nothin' to worry about," Link answered, beginning to shake Saria. "Time to get a move on, Saria. Wake up."  
  
Groggily, Saria sat up and yawned. She shook Malon, who was actually already awake, and asked for a comb. "Any ideas as to how far we'll travel today, Princess?" Malon asked, handing the item to Saria.  
  
"No, I'm not sure," Zelda answered, brushing out her own hair. "We kind of started out late yesterday, so we should cover more ground today. That's just being optimistic, though--you never know if we might run into something dangerous. But that's not too likely until later on in the day."  
  
********  
  
"Where are we?" Malon asked a few hours later, bringing her horse to a stop outside an ominous looking forest.  
  
"Not sure," Link said, consulting his map. "It doesn't say on here. You three stay out here, and I'll go see if it's safe."  
  
"Wait, I'll go with you," Zelda said, steering her horse towards him. "Something might happen to you unexpectedly and we wouldn't know what came about."  
  
"Yeah, but then something might happen to YOU, and Malon and Saria wouldn't know about it."  
  
"I have an idea," Malon said. " I withdraw my earlier question. Why don't we all just go in and found out about it?."  
  
Link shrugged. "Okay."  
  
Once they were a little ways into the woods, Saria noticed something dodge behind a tree ahead of them. "Link," she said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I just saw something up there."  
  
"What was it?"  
  
"I don't know....it was too dark, but I think it was--look, there it was again! Did you see it?"  
  
"Zelda," Link said, addressing the elf in front. "Stop your horse."  
  
"Why, what--AAAH!!"  
  
"Princess!" Malon shouted, jumping off of her horse and plunging into the darkness ahead of her. She reached out blindly and felt an arm of slimy skin. Malon tightened her grip on it and said, "Release the Princess, you monster!"  
  
By this time, Saria had lit a lantern she'd been carrying in her pack and held it up quickly. Link rushed to her side.  
  
On the ground in front of them, a moblin had his hand tightly around Zelda's throat, while Malon had a tight grip on his arm. "Don't....move," Malon growled.  
  
"You underestimate me, lass," the moblin snarled. He turned his head and dug his teeth into Malon's arm, causing her to let go of him immediately with a yelp of pain. The moblin loosened his grip on Zelda slightly and stood up. "None of you move, or else your Princess is going to suffer a broken neck."  
  
"You won't hurt her," Link said. "You need her! To help Gannondorf gain the Triforce's power!"  
  
"Shut up!" the moblin yelled back. "I despise the name Gannondorf, don't speak it again! I have my own reasons for wanting the Princess dead, so back off!"  
  
"That's your biggest mistake," Zelda said in a choked whisper. "Thinking I need them to help me." Letting out an almighty "Yah!", the Princess reached an arm up behind her and grabbed the moblin by the scruff of his neck, pulling him upwards. She saw him fly over her head and land on top of Malon.  
  
"You little beast!" Malon declared, taking out her dagger and and stabbing him in the chest. "Two can play the game of death!" Wordless shrieks escaped the moblin's throat as Malon stabbed him repeatedly.  
  
"Malon, stop!" Saria called out, grabbing her sister's shoulders and pulling her back. "He's dead already!"  
  
"Do you really think he's against Gannondorf, or was he just making it up?" Link asked aloud.  
  
"I think he was one of Ganon's spies," Zelda replied, walking towards the group. "Oldest trick in the book to try and get you off his tail. And as far as I know, there's only one evil man out there who wants my powers enough to kill me for them....Ugh, now I smell like a moblin."  
  
"Are you all right, your highness?" Saria asked.  
  
"Yes, I'll be fine, I think Malon's the one to be worried about," Zelda said. "Dear, you've started bleeding where that moblin bit you! Goddesses, no surprise there. We'll need to get a bandage on that before it gets infected."  
  
"Here," Link said, tearing off a piece of cloth from his pack and wrapping it around Malon's arm. "That should hold for a while."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Zelda's horse trotted up to the moblin's corse and sniffed at it curiously. He knocked it softly with his hoof then looked up at Malon.  
  
"Ooh, looks as if that moblin got your horse when he grabbed you, highness," Malon said. "See that cut on his neck?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Suddenly, the horse screeched loudly and reared back on his hind legs. He charged at Malon, who dodged out of his way just in time. Breathing heavily, he turned around hastily and charged at the group of them again.  
  
"He's gone mad!" Saria exclaimed, quickly mounting her horse.  
  
"Quick, get up on Epona behind me!" Link said to Zelda, who now had no (sane) horse. "We've got to get out of here as quickly as possible!"  
  
The three of them galloped off, Zelda's insane steed not far behind them. He whinnied loudly again, trampling the soft soil beneath him.  
  
"Good Goddesses, that horse is fast!" Saria remarked, looking back in horror at the animal who was thundering towards them. "Woah, stop! Link, Malon, it's a cliff!" She yanked at her reins, but was a tad bit too slow.  
  
Unfortunately, so were the other two.  
  
The three horses skidded down the mountain (not as steep a cliff as it had earlier appeared), trying vainly to stop. They came to a sudden halt once the reached the bottom of it, causing their riders to fly off of them.  
  
Coughing, Zelda stood up and dusted herself off. "Where are we? It's so misty down here, I can't barely see ahead of me. Are you guys there?"  
  
"Present and accounted for, your majesty," Malon answered, attempting to find her way towards the others with Saria. "My guess is that we're near some sort of waterfall....the mist and sound of rushing water are dead giveaways."  
  
"I think you're right," Link said. "Boy, looks like our horses sure got spooked. We'd better stop here and let them rest up a bit. Maybe the mist will have cleared off by morning."  
  
"We can't stop now!" Zelda said in desperation. "It's not even night yet!"  
  
"We've got to, your highness," Malon said. "And even if it's not night, it'll be getting dark soon. Besides, our horses won't want to go anywhere for a while until they've calmed down. And by then, it'll be much too late for travel."  
  
"It's never too late," Zelda disagreed.  
  
"Out here, it is, Princess," Saria said. "That's when all the Wolfos and Skullkids come out anyway, and we wouldn't want to have to tangle around with them once we get out of these mountains." That is, IF they got out of them.  
  
"All right then," the Princess sighed. "Let's set up camp."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Later that night, Zelda was having problems sleeping again. She sat up and looked around. Malon and Saria were fast asleep, and she didn't want to wake them. Zelda was a little confused to see that Link was gone.  
  
Her curiousity aroused, Zelda got up and walked down one of the mountain's many paths. She could hear the sound of metal clanging against rock, and wondered if Link had anything to do with the noise. Perhaps he was sharpening his sword or something like that.  
  
Having nothing better to do, Zelda trooped down the mountainside, then hesitated. It could be a moblin or something else sharpening a weapon, not Link. As quietly as possible, the Princess crept down the small hill towards the noise and then crouched behind a large boulder. She peeked over the top of it, and was relieved to see that it WAS Link, apparently practicing his sword moves against a rock.  
  
But there was something different about him. Then Zelda realized that he wasn't wearing his tunic; he was shirtless.  
  
Zelda gasped and ducked behind the boulder again, blushing. Even though she had kissed Link several times, she thought that seeing him bare- chested was a very scandalous situation. But her mind and heart were daring her to look past the rock again and stare at him.  
  
There wasn't much she could do to avoid it. Smiling to herself, the Princess watched in awe as Link whammed his sword into the rock in front of him. Goddesses, did he look good without a shirt on! Zelda had never realized what a muscular, masculine body he had. It really only added to her infatuation.  
  
Suddenly, Link whirled around and saw the Princess staring at him. His jaw dropped, as did his sword. Zelda turned a crimson color and stammered, "S-sorry if I interrupted your practice, I was m-merely trying to...."  
  
"Well, this is interesting," Link laughed, sticking his sword into the ground and resting his hands on it. "First I go to your bedroom to see you in your nightgown, and now you come to me to see me shirtless."  
  
"Don't flatter yourself," Zelda replied. "I only came down here to see if I could find you. I wanted someone to talk to because I kept staying awake, and the others were both asleep."  
  
"All right. If you only wanted to talk to me, why were you standing beside that boulder and staring at me like that?"  
  
"Because....because....oh, fine! You're impossible, you know that?"  
  
"Impossible?" Link repeated, walking over to Zelda and flashing her a beguiling smile. "That word has never been used to describe me before, your excellency."  
  
Frowning, Zelda walked past Link and towards a small cliff. She gazed down into the waters beneath her and jumped as she felt Link sit next to her and put an arm around her shoulders.  
  
"Link," Zelda said sweetly. "What would you do to me if I pushed you into the water down there?"  
  
"I would have to kill you."  
  
Zelda laughed. "Why is that? You wouldn't be able to kill me, anyhow. The fall alone would kill you."  
  
"No it wouldn't. I was looking up this waterfall on the map Impa gave us, and it says there aren't any rocks on the bottom. The water is also deep enough so that I'd be able to survive and so techinically--I wouldn't die."  
  
"Don't worry, I'd never do such a mean thing to you," Zelda giggled. "I know how you feel about water."  
  
Link blushed.  
  
**FLASHBACK**  
  
"Link, come on!" a twelve year old Zelda called out. "The water's fine, it isn't cold at all! It's Lake Hylia, for Din's sakes!"  
  
"That's not why I'm not joining you," Link said flatly.  
  
"Then why is it?"  
  
Link looked away and walked down towards the beach. Zelda hastily got out of the water and followed him. "C'mon, tell me. What is it?"  
  
"It's a secret," Link said, turning a brick reddish color.  
  
"You can tell me, I won't breathe a word of it to a soul, I swear! I'll not tease you into coming into the water again!"  
  
"Promise me you won't laugh."  
  
"I won't laugh."  
  
Taking a deep breath, Link said, "I can't swim. My older brother got me into the water once when I was younger, and I almost drowned. If he hadn't saved me, I would've died. I've never gone in the water since, and therefore have never learned to swim." He braced himself, waiting for the Princess to laugh. When no sound of ridicule came, he turned to her.  
  
"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't know. I won't bring it up again."  
  
Link smiled. "Thanks. And thanks for not laughing."  
  
"I promised you I wouldn't. And besides, it isn't funny." Zelda sat herself down on the sand, drawing her legs up to her chest and resting her chin on them. "Everyone has a condition like that, you can't help it. I understand."  
  
The sun was setting, and Link sat down next to her. She sighed and looked out into the ocean. He stared at her, the setting sun putting half her profile in slight shadow.  
  
Goddesses, she was beautiful.  
  
**PRESENT**  
  
"Now that I think about it, I guess you're right," Link said. "I WOULD die if you pushed me down there, because I'd drown....so I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't."  
  
"I won't, I told you that already," Zelda laughed. She rested her head on his shoulder. Hesitantly, she placed a hand on his chest and rubbed it seductively and purred in his ear, "I would never do anything to hurt you, Link."  
  
His arms reached out to embrace her, and he pulled her into a passionate kiss. Her hands explored his back and his neck, the light sweat giving it a moist, sensual sort of feeling. Link nibbled at her ear again, causing the Princess to recoil with a small giggle. She retaliated by gently caressing his shoulders and planting small kisses on his neck and torso.  
  
"I think that's enough for tonight," Link said, pulling Zelda off of him with a grin.  
  
"No it's not," Zelda insisted, pulling Link on top of her and moving her hands through his hair. "I need more of you before I can get to sleep....you aren't tiring of me, are you, Link?"  
  
"Nope," he whispered back, kissing the curve of her jaw.  
  
"But I was wondering something," Zelda said, sitting up and pushing Link off of her. "Making love is nice--even though we've never gone all the way or anything--but I'd be interested in seeing--" She twirled about "-- how well you dance."  
  
"With pleasure," Link said, taking one of her hands and putting his other hand on her waist. "Waltz?"  
  
"Mmm....I'd prefer a more riveting one, if you get my saying."  
  
"All right then. I'll lead."  
  
The two began a spirited dance upon the rock floor, twirling and dipping. Closing her eyes, Zelda imagined herself back at one of the balls she had once attended. The soft music began playing in her ears, but this time, she was dancing with someone who was important to her. And that really meant everything.  
  
"What're you thinking about?" Link whispered in her ear.  
  
She sighed with content. "Oh, I was just remembering some of the balls I've been to in my life time. I was wasting precious time, though; it was time I could've been spending with you."  
  
Link blushed and was unable to think of a response. Zelda grinned at him.  
  
"I think this is the last step of the dance," she said.  
  
The Princess lifted up her leg and her arm in unison. Link gripped her beneath her knee, and she clutched his cheek in her other hand. He lowered her once more in a dip, and she tilted her head back in the intensity of the moment.  
  
Link stared briefly at her breasts and then kissed her neck one more time. "I think we'd better try to go to sleep now."  
  
"All right, hero."  
  
Hand in hand, the two of them walked back up the mountain to find their camp.  
  
.......  
  
Saria suddenly woke up. She didn't move, however, because she heard approaching footsteps. It sounded as if the people were trying to be silent, but Saria's sharp ears could pick up noises miles away.  
  
She heard two sighs and then something that sounded like a wet kiss. "Good-night," Saria heard Link say. Her heart raced.  
  
"Good night, dearest." That was undoubtedly the Princess.  
  
Pretending that she was still asleep, Saria gripped her blanket tightly, two small tears forcing their way down her cheeks.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
a/n:  
  
whaddya know. another chapter come and gone. sry 2 those of u who dont like romance, but i just felt like this had to come out.  
  
more action will be coming soon, so look out! o, and just 4 random's sake, here r some books u all should read:  
  
1. the secret life of bees (best best BEST book in the world, especially if u want 2 cure ur fear of bees/wasps/yellow jackets!! i fear them no longer, thanx 2 this book!)  
  
2. Of Mice And Men (it's NOT boring, it's a great classic! everyone will benefit from reading this!)  
  
3. Rebecca (chilling spine-tingling romance story that is really really GOOD!!)  
  
4. Gone With The Wind (so it's 1,037 pgs. who cares?? the book'll fly right on by as u read it b/c u wont want 2 stop!!) 


	5. He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

phew! its been a while, hasn't it? well, anyway, here's a no- action/adventure chapter. sry 4 the lack of it, and sry if the fluffiness is getting annoying. but i like romance. its my favorite genre, in case u couldnt tell. btw, there is romance in this chapter, but it's definitely not fluffy.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sighing, Saria dipped her head beneath the water. She'd managed to find a small pool near their little campsite, perfect for bathing in. By now Saria was almost positive of the romance going on between the Princess and Link....she'd heard them cooing and whispering all night.  
  
Saria tried to think of something else. She knew it would be freezing when she got out of the pool. Not only was she not wearing anything at the moment, but the water was very warm and the air was very cold. She sighed again. Her thoughts were almost always negative.  
  
Link, meanwhile, was sitting against a rock by the same pool, oblivious to the fact that Saria was already in it. He hated bathing. The mere sight of water made him shiver, but he knew nothing could happen to him here, because it was too shallow (he'd tested it with a stick). Taking a deep breath, he drifted into the water, and then sighed. It did feel rather nice.  
  
Saria turned. Did she just hear something? 'It must have been the wind,' she thought to herself.  
  
Meanwhile, back at the campsite--  
  
"Goddesses, it's freezing!" Malon shivered, picking up sticks for firewood. "I'm going to see if that water Saria's bathing in is hot, once she's out!"  
  
"Oh, is that where she went?" Zelda asked. "I was wondering....Link disappeared earlier this morning, and I don't know where he went."  
  
"GAAH!!!" Malon cried, dropping the small log she'd just picked up and jumping into a small patch of grass near a large boulder.  
  
"What is it?" Zelda asked, standing up and looking around.  
  
"There was a SPIDER crawling on that piece of wood!!" Malon whimpered.  
  
Zelda laughed. "Don't tell me you'll fight moblins and Octoroks, but you're afraid of a little spider?"  
  
"It's a long story," Malon sighed, wiping her brow. Grimacing, she flicked another spider off her shoulder. "Ohh, I HATE this place!!"  
  
"Try to get your mind off of spiders," Zelda suggested, beginning to pick up some wood herself.  
  
"And what, may I ask, should I think about instead, your majesty?" Malon inquired.  
  
"How about that patch of poison ivy you're standing in?"  
  
".........AAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!"  
  
"Uh....why don't you finish making a fire?" Zelda asked, walking down the stony mountain path. "I'm going to see if I can find Link..."  
  
Saria turned around in the pool. All right....there was definitely someone else in the water. Or something...else. She got slightly nervous. "Who's there?" she finally called out, her nerves getting the better of her.  
  
Link froze in shock. He recognized that voice. "S-Saria?" He pulled back on some of the vines that shielded the rest of the small pond. Link gasped.  
  
With a small hiccup, Saria stooped down in the water and tried to cover herself. "L-Link....I-I didn't know you were here." Whether she liked him or not, she still had feminine modesty. A heated blush worked its way quickly up her neck and onto her face. She wasn't sure whether or not to be flattered when Link flushed as well.  
  
"I-I didn't know you were here, either," Link stammered, not really noticing that Saria was slowly making her way towards him. He wanted to say he was going to leave, but his lips were frozen shut, afraid of what Saria might do next. He knew she'd always had a crush on him, but--as long as she kept below her neck under water, there wouldn't be a problem.  
  
"Then what a coincidence this is," Saria remarked, managing a mischievous smile and draping one arm around Link's shoulder.  
  
Link stiffened. He smelled trouble. Not the life-threatening- situation type of trouble, but the kind of I-shouldn't-be-here trouble. If Zelda ever found out, she might get the wrong idea...  
  
Right on cue, the Princess stuck her head through some bushes near the pond. Her mouth dropped. She suddenly felt very short of breath, and closed her eyes and turned away. Had her eyes been playing tricks on her? Had she just seen Saria throwing herself at Link, and he not pushing her away?  
  
Zelda opened her eyes once more and her body began to go numb. She could not stand to see this. Standing up and running blindly up the path, the Princess tried vainly to stop the tears from flowing.  
  
"Did you hear that?" Link asked, finally able to pull himself out of Saria's grasp. "It sounded like someone running...."  
  
"I didn't hear anything," Saria said.  
  
"No," Link insisted, heading towards the shore. "Someone was here, it sounded like they were heading for the camp...." He paused before stepping out of the water. "Um...would you mind turning around for a moment?"  
  
Rolling her eyes, Saria turned and went back towards her end of the pond.  
  
Link briskly pulled on his clothes and ran out of the boggy area. He flew up the mountain path back towards where Malon and Zelda were. "Malon!" he called out, once she was in view. "Are you all right?"  
  
Malon stared at him. "....yes....but Zelda doesn't appear to be. She ran down that path over there to find you and when she ran back up, she was in a fit of crying hysterics. She wouldn't tell me what happened."  
  
"Oh no...." Link whispered. "Where is she?"  
  
"Over there."  
  
With a quick "thanks," Link sped off in the direction Malon had pointed him in.  
  
Zelda sat quietly on a flat stone. The rock was wet in several places, thanks to her tears. She bit on her lip to stop crying and tried to sit up. With a sigh, she turned on her side for a change of scenery. She saw a small, dying flower, sticking out of the ground near her. The Princess reached out an arm for it, and picked it out of the dirt.  
  
Managing to sit up, Zelda shivered and pulled one petal off the flower. "He loves me .... he loves me not ... he loves me ..."  
  
Meanwhile, Link was still running, and starting to run out of breath. He hoped Zelda hadn't gone anywhere too far, he was getting exhausted. 'Oh, there she is!' he thought to himself, upon seeing a feminine figure on a stone somewhat close.  
  
"He loves me ..." Zelda stopped. There was one petal left. Outraged, she screamed shortly and threw the flower behind her. Resuming her sobbing, she drew her legs up to her chest and lay her head down on them.  
  
"Excuse me," came a voice. "But I believe you dropped this."  
  
Breathing in sharply, Zelda turned around and saw Link walking towards her, a flower with one petal remaining in his hand. He walked closer, but she turned back around sharply.  
  
"What is it you want?" she asked coldly.  
  
"To explain," Link sighed, getting up onto the rock and sitting behind her. "I don't think that you--"  
  
"What is there to explain?" Zelda asked. "I saw you, you a-and Saria! I know it Link, so don't waste your breath on a lie!"  
  
"Zelda!" Link said sharply, sliding forward and turning, placing his hands on the rock on either side of her. "My breath would never be wasted, not if I was using it for you. You need to understand--"  
  
"I already understand, Link!" Zelda shouted, pushing him back and standing up. Fresh tears started to cascaded down her cheeks. "Don't think that this hasn't happened to me before! I've been used, more than my fair share! I'm sorry to say it, but you aren't the first lover I've ever had...I couldn't stand those royals at all, and people beneath my station were always lusting about for me--it was impossible to get away from!"  
  
Link stared at her, a little hurt. "But--"  
  
"That's why I was so hesitant to show you how I felt!" Zelda continued, sobbing fully now. "But--but I thought you were different, I thought that you would be sincere! I trusted you, and you've thrown it back in my face by--"  
  
"Princess, you don't understand what happened!" Link yelled in frustration. "I didn't know Saria was there when I got in! There was a--it was a curtain of vines and leaves, and we got in on different sides!"  
  
"You don't expect me to believe a far-fetched idea like that, do you?" Zelda asked. "If there was this so-called curtain, how did it happen that you both ended up on the same side?"  
  
"I heard something, but I didn't know what it was!" Link insisted. "When I went over, I saw Saria! I didn't KNOW it was her! I just froze because I was in shock--I was going to leave, but then you came!"  
  
"Then how did it happen that Saria was all over you once I got there?" Zelda inquired, enlarging the facts slightly.  
  
Link stopped. He looked defeated and very sad. "I should have an explanation for that, but I don't, Princess. She began to take advantage of me, and I let her--but only because I was too stunned to do otherwise. But I suppose that your deaf ears would block the truth out, so I don't know what the point is of trying to tell you what happened." He looked at her, but her eyes were still turned away. Trying his best not to shed a tear, Link walked slowly away.  
  
Zelda turned and stared at his retreating figure until it was out of sight. She wanted more than anything to forgive Link, she didn't want him to hate her. She'd had her heart broken too many times to just let this pass by, though. After all, she had SEEN them together, and it was obvious that Link could never love her.  
  
'Money,' Zelda thought to herself, sliding down the rock to the ground. 'Money, and titles. I hate those two words. All they have ever done is get me into misery and heartbreak.'  
  
She vowed never to love again. Then she cried herself to sleep.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Zelda awoke later to the sound of footsteps walking towards her. She stood up slowly and turned around, half-hoping to see Link there. Her shoulders slumped slightly when she saw that it was only Malon.  
  
"Well, sorry to disappoint you, your highness," Malon said, standing next to her and folding her arms casually. "Perhaps you were expecting Link?"  
  
"I was expecting no one," Zelda said. Then she whipped around and said, "What is that remark supposed to mean? Are you insinuating that I--"  
  
"You were, Princess, if you don't mind my saying so," Malon interrupted. "You were in love with him at one point. It was a little obvious, no offense."  
  
"Then what did you come down here for?" Zelda asked irritably, crossing her own arms defiantly.  
  
"Well, early this morning, Saria came to me with the most dreadful story," Malon said lightly, brushing her red hair behind her ear. "It looked like she could cry."  
  
'I can relate,' Zelda thought to herself darkly.  
  
"She told me that she had gone down to one of the springs to take a bath," Malon continued. "But apparently, Link was there too. But she didn't know it. You see, she took me down there, and showed me this curtain of leaves that sort of seperated the pool into two parts. They were both on opposite sides, when they thought they heard something and went to see what it was. They were stunned to discover each other." Malon sighed. "You also have to understand, highness, that Saria has pined for Link ever since childhood, almost. To be in this--situation would be a dream for her, and that's immediately what she took hold of once she got over her first initial shock."  
  
Zelda could feel Malon glance at her, but she remained silent. "Well, go on."  
  
"Saria told me that Link was very uncomfortable, and that he was very stiff once she approached him. Then she realized what she was doing. It was wrong, and he obviously didn't want it. But then you came, and she got scared out of her wits and she's afraid you'll have her head if you see her."  
  
There was a long silence, until Zelda whispered, "I wish I could believe what you're telling me, Malon. I really do." She looked up at Malon's depressed face. "But I can't. I just can't. I'll have to face them both eventually, but for now I'm going to believe what I saw. And that's not what you or Link have told me, so far."  
  
"In that case, I'm sorry I can't try to persuade you into believing what isn't a lie," Malon sighed. She began to walk away, but stopped. "You may KNOW certain aspects of Link better than I do--"  
  
Zelda inhaled sharply and twirled around.  
  
"--but I've known him longer. And he would never do something like this to any girl he met. Ever." With that, Malon walked back to the camp. A few minutes later, Zelda reluctantly followed.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: just if ur wondering, zelda is going back 2 the camp so she can sleep there. not cuz of anything else. hope that chapter was ok, i've had MAJOR writing block on this story 4 the longest time! anywho, plz review!! 


	6. Delayed Reaction

WOO-HOO!!! a new chapter!! exciting, ain't it? anywho, remember link and zel r in a fight b/c she saw him in the lagoon w/ saria earlier...doing something. but not doing something. u know? oi. i hope u remember. but i'll shut up now.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"All right everyone," Zelda said the next morning, addressing her three fellow volunteers. "Today we'll be making our way out of this cursed mountain and back on the trail to our destination. Now, who has the map?"  
  
"I do," Link answered, pulling it out of his pack. "We'll have to go down that way to get out of this mountain range, and then scale another hill to get back to our original trailway."  
  
The four of them crowded around the map, fingering routes and trying to decide the best way to get out.  
  
"Don't be an idiot, Link," Zelda scolded him. "If we go THAT way, we'll end up near the water trenches. And it doesn't seem like there would be much of a walkway, so the chance of falling into the water is very high."  
  
"Oh, I didn't think of that," Link whispered, not wanting to start an arguement.  
  
"Okay, so why don't we go that way?" Malon suggested, pointing to a trail that led downwards. "It'll get us to--"  
  
"Yeah, that looks good," Saria agreed, nodding. "It seems by far the safest route. Everyone for it?"  
  
"All right," Zelda sighed, as Link folded up the map. "C'mon, let's get out of here. Oh wait, I forgot....I don't have a horse." She glanced at the others. Malon and Saria looked over at Link, and there was a clear look of resentment between him and Zelda.  
  
"You can use my horse, Princess," Saria offered. "I'll, um--"  
  
"You can ride with me, Saria," Link said, getting on Epona and extending a hand. "Then, I think, we'll all be accounted for."  
  
"Thank you," Zelda and Saria both said, getting onto their respective horses. "Now, where was that trail we were going to use?" the former asked.  
  
"This way," Malon answered, nudging her horse and going off to their right. The other three followed.  
  
Saria sat numbly behind Link, barely aware that her arms were around his waist. A couple days ago she'd be having the time of her life right now, but all she could feel was guilt. Being caught in the act by the Princess of Hyrule was an unbearable thought--especially since Saria had been trying to get some affection from her man.  
  
Glancing over at the Princess, Saria tried to imagine what Zelda was thinking. All she could see was an independant, strong, brave (and a little bloody) young woman, determined to accomplish her goal. But she was also distraught, angry, and looking as if she was trying to hold back....tears.  
  
Suddenly, Zelda looked over at Saria, who quickly turned away. Saria knew that the Princess could have her beheaded for trying to seduce her lover. She shivered, wishing that she had never betrayed such a powerful figure's trust.  
  
Zelda grimaced and turned her attention back on riding. 'That forest monkey really owes me,' she thought to herself. 'I could slaughter her for this treachery against me! And look how tightly she's holding onto Link, as if....as if....'  
  
Well, Zelda's mind was sort of playing tricks on her. As it was previously mentioned, Saria was barely holding onto Link at all. If she got bumped or they came to a sudden stop, she'd probably be sent whirling off.  
  
And speak of the devil, that's exactly what happened. Malon came to a sudden halt, which made Zelda stop abruptly, and caused Link to also yank on his reins. These subsequent actions made the un-suspecting Saria go flying backwards.  
  
"You should follow the little lady's example," said a dark voice. "Get off those horses of yours."  
  
Zelda stared at the speaker: a particularly small, dumpy, moblin. Without any hesitation, the three others slowly got off their horses and glared at the hold-up.  
  
"'At's right," the moblin laughed. "Guess you just weren't expecting the sudden stop, eh? I see you ain't got any weapons on ya." He gently pulled on the horses' reins, bringing them closer to him.  
  
"That's where you're wrong!" Malon cried, taking a dagger out of its hiding place in her boot.  
  
"Oh, hold on, missy," the moblin laughed. "You don't want to be messing around with me, I don't think."  
  
"Why not?" Saria asked. "We outnumber you!"  
  
"Are you sure about that?" the moblin asked coolly. Right on cue, almost one hundred moblins appeared out of almost no where, crawling out of the woods, and from behind the rocks. The head moblin smirked as his backup encompassed the four intrepid warriors, who were actually rather nervous right now.  
  
Malon dropped her dagger to the ground, mostly from shock. She looked at the others, who seemed to be equally dumbstruck.  
  
"You seem to know what I was going to ask next," the head moblin chuckled. "All right, the lot of you--drop those weapons." The four of them remained still. Sighing, the moblin sent three of his armed guards forward.  
  
Each moblin took a pack off the horses' saddles, and continued to frisk the others. Saria stiffly handed over her bow and her arrow. Zelda watched with pain as a moblin carried Link's sword to his leader. Her eyes widened as a moblin suddenly approached her with a large club and swung it over her head.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Zelda woke up hours later with a groan. She sat up slowly, putting a hand quickly to her head. "Ow...."  
  
"You hurting, Princess?" a nearby moblin asked. "At least you're awake now, we were worried for a while there!" He laughed hoarsely.  
  
"Aren't they going to tie us up?" Malon muttered to Link, who was seated by Saria. "Do they trust us not to run away?"  
  
"Basically," Link sighed. "It would be stupid and tactless of us to try to escape in this present state. They'd kill us too quickly, there are too many of them."  
  
"Thanks for the analysis," Zelda muttered sarcastically.  
  
Link glared at her. "Your welcome, Rip Van Winkle."  
  
She stared at him icily. "I'll let that one pass me by, Link. But I wasn't sleeping, you know. In case you didn't notice, I was unconcious thanks to the moblin who bashed me over the head with a big stick."  
  
"Gee, I guess I DIDN'T notice," Link said. "I was too busy making sure nobody hurt Saria."  
  
At that point, a moblin walked up to Malon and grabbed her shoulder roughly. "Get up, young missy." Slowly, the rancher got to her feet and stared at the moblin. He continued, saying, "the leader wants to adress you about something he thinks you'll find rather interesting."  
  
"Why me?" Malon asked indignantly.  
  
Grinning, the moblin glanced briefly at the scar on Malon's arm: the one that had been left there ever since their encounter with a lone moblin in the woods. She stared at him, then he began to drag her away.  
  
Zelda gasped suddenly.  
  
"What is it?" Saria asked.  
  
The Princess slapped her forehead and gritted her teeth. "Oh, we are such idiots!"  
  
"Hey, speak for yourself," Link muttered.  
  
"Shut up, Link!" Zelda cried. "This is serious! The moblins and the horses! Don't you two see by now?! It's the moblins who have done something to the horses to make them turn....evil, possessed! Link, you said that there was a moblin attack in town, and it made all the horses go crazy! Then my horse in the woods a couple days ago went insane after it got clawed by that moblin!"  
  
"Malon!" Saria breathed suddenly. "Oh my Godesses!"  
  
Link stared at both of the women, who were looking quite concerned. Then he understood what Saria had implied. "Guys, hold on a second. Each time the moblins touched the horses, they became evil, like... instantaneously. Malon got bitten a few days ago. If she was going to go mad like them, wouldn't it have already happened?"  
  
Saria looked distractedly down at the ground. This new information was sinking into her mind, and it was horrifying her. The moblins were the ones who were making the horses lose their minds.... they were using some kind of magic....  
  
"Perhaps you're right about Malon," Zelda said stiffly. "But we can't know for sure. Maybe the magic the moblins use works faster on horses than-- "  
  
"But that doesn't make much sense, does it?" Link asked.  
  
"It makes some sense!" Zelda retorted.  
  
Saria shivered and let out a quiet, stifled sob. Zelda and Link both turned towards her as she rubbed her arms to keep warm. "Please, Nayru, don't let anything have happened to my sister."  
  
"Don't worry about it, Saria," Link said comfortingly, putting an arm around her. "I'm sure Malon will be fine."  
  
"She won't!" Saria insisted, burying her face into Link's shoulder, causing Zelda to flush with jealousy. But immediately she removed herself from his body, saying, "Link, you smell absolutely awful."  
  
Link rolled his eyes. "I don't think we should be worrying about that sort of thing right now. Besides, we've been down here two days, and not a chance to b--"  
  
"Two days?!" Zelda asked in shock. "Is THAT how long I was out?!"  
  
"Yeah," Link answered nonchalantly.  
  
Another moblin approached them from the mist, this time adressing Saria. "The leader says he'd like you to come speak with him," he said. "Now."  
  
Numbly, Saria got to her feet, glanced behind her, and followed the moblin into the darkness and the mist. This left Link and Zelda awkwardly by themselves.  
  
She looked over at him mournfully. Zelda missed the way Link used to cradle her in his arms, kiss her passionately, and yes, even how he danced with her. But that was all over now--they were through.  
  
Then Link looked up and saw her staring at him. She quickly looked away, hoping he hadn't noticed. "Zelda--"  
  
"No," she said quietly but firmly. "We can't talk about that sort of thing right now. We have much more important things to think about right now."  
  
"Like what?" Link asked with exasperation.  
  
"Like WHAT?!" Zelda repeated with fury. "Maybe that our two friends are in danger, and that the four of us could lose our lives at any moment!!"  
  
"That's why we have to get this thing straightened out now," Link said quietly, moving closer to the Princess. "I could not have either of us die and you not knowing the truth of what happened."  
  
"We've already gone over this, Link," Zelda whispered. "We are done."  
  
"But Zel, you don't know what happened back there. I swear to you, I was telling you the truth yesterday."  
  
The Princess started to cry silently against her will. "But Link, I know what I saw! And what you said contrasted completely with that!"  
  
"Zelda," Link said, taking her hand. She shook out of his grasp, and he sighed and went on. "Please, believe me. Don't be stubborn."  
  
"Link, I'm not being stubborn! I'm just calling you a liar."  
  
"No, you are being stubborn," Link persisted. "You just saw Saria and I in an unusual situataion.... she was taking advantage of me, and I was much too scared to get away. If I really had any courage at all, I'd have pushed her off immediately."  
  
"Then you call yourself a coward?" Zelda asked callously. "You, a hero, call yourself a coward?"  
  
Link stared at her solemnly. Then he nodded. "Yes, I do. Real bravery is to be able to confront anybody and tell them to leave you alone. I can do that with ReDeads, Wolfos, and any other monster out there. But I lack the courage to do it to my friends."  
  
"That's really not a very good excuse," Zelda told him.  
  
"Maybe not, in your eyes," Link continued. "But I have not done anything wrong."  
  
"Oh, of course not!" Zelda said mockingly. "Toying with the heart of a Princess is no crime at all. Have you no shame?"  
  
Turning away, Link shook his head. Why couldn't she just trust him? Just a little bit? At all?  
  
"I loved you, Link! And you used me!"  
  
"No, Zelda!" Link said back. "If you really and truly loved me, you would believe what I saying to you right now!"  
  
She reached out and slapped him smartly across the face. They glared at each other darkly. Their battle would have gone on, but suddenly they saw Saria running towards them, heaving deep breaths.  
  
"Link, Princess!" she called out to them. But a moblin was in hot pursuit of her, and flung himself ontop of Saria, crashing her to the ground. He grabbed both of her wrists and stood behind her.  
  
"Saria!" Link and Zelda both said, getting to their feet.  
  
"It's Malon!" Saria cried, tears coursing down her cheeks. "Malon!"  
  
"Oh no," Zelda breathed, mostly to herself.  
  
Then a whole gang of moblins came into the small area, leaving Link, Zelda and a struggling Saria in the middle of a semi-circle.  
  
Then a moblin reached out and grabbed Zelda from behind. She screamed at him but could do little as he bound her hands together behind her back. Link turned furiously towards the moblin and reached for his sword--only to remember that it had been taken by the moblins already.  
  
"Sorry, hero," said the lead moblin. "But we've got other plans for you. I think our newest little member would like to do the honors."  
  
Zelda screamed as she saw a flash of red dart out of the group of moblins, running up to Link and grabbing his wrists.  
  
"Malon!" he gasped.  
  
Malon nodded, grinning devilishly. Only she was not herself. One could only see the whites of her eyes, and her whole body was shaking violently. Link and Zelda stared at her in terror. She gestured in front of her, using her head.  
  
"She wants you to look down there," a moblin told Link.  
  
Nodding, Malon moved Link forward a few feet, then came to a stop. The mist cleared up a bit, and he could see they were standing over a cliff. One that was placed over a large pool of water, complete with a waterfall. It was then that he realized they were all in the spot where he and Zelda had been a couple nights ago.  
  
You remember, where they had danced together for the first time.  
  
"Hope you enjoy swimming, boy," one moblin said. Malon turned to him and he nodded. Then, without hesitation, she tossed Link off the edge of the cliff.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: dun dun DUNNNN!!!! yes, a cliffie!! (get it? cliff, cliffhanger? ha ha haaa!!!) i'll try 2 update soon.  
  
in the mean time, plz answer this question in ur reviews (or try 2):  
  
when i first registered 4 this site, which of the following pennames was NOT--I repeat, WAS NOT--considered (3 i wanted 2 use, one i never thought of)  
  
1. Anonymous  
  
2. Forte Sweeney  
  
3. Meryl Streep's No. 1 Fan  
  
4. Virgina Woolf's apprentice  
  
goooooooooooooood luck!!! c ya real soon!! 


	7. The Agony and The Ecstasy

A/N: YES!! IT FEELS SO GOOD TO HAVE WRITTEN HERE AGAIN!! geez, i had THE worst case of writer's block ever! anyway, here's one chapter, but i promise the next one'll be here soon! i swear!  
  
Dragonkiller, if u don't like my story, Y R U READING IT?!?! ur reviews really bug me! ok, u dont like romance--i cut down on it! then the only comment u made on the last chapter was about my corny joke that i acknowledged was corny!! could i please have some critique on my story?! good or bad!! just tell me what makes it so!! i can't stand this! it's driving me nuts!! SO IN MY NEXT CHAPTER, GET READY FOR FLUFF!!! (not fluff, but a lil romance, at least). SHEESH!!!!  
  
anyway, if u remember, malon just threw link off the cliff. so back to the story, ppl. :)  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Zelda gaped in horror at what she had just seen. It had happened all so fast--one second Link had been there, and the next he was gone!  
  
It was as if she had forgotten all that had happened between them in the last few days. All she could think of was saving him. She remembered the fact that Link didn't swim, and knew that he could very easily drown...she had to get free.  
  
The Princess suddenly pushed all her weight backwards--this caused the moblin holding her from behind to crash into a large boulder beside him. Not having expected the attack, the moblin collapsed to the ground.  
  
"Somebody grab her!!" a head moblin yelled to the crowd. But they were too slow (um, obviously).  
  
Zelda pushed past Malon and--not really stopping to think what she was doing--dove off the cliff. Saria, who did not know that there weren't any rocks at the bottom of the fall and that Zelda would probably live, had no idea why the Princess had just jumped off the cliff. But she most certainly did not want to be left alone with a pack of moblins and a deranged sister.  
  
Saria squirmed to get free, but the moblin held her tightly.  
  
"Don't think so," he sneered.  
  
Then Saria realized that she would have to attempt an escape at a later time, when the moblins would not be expecting it......  
  
Meanwhile.....  
  
Zelda landed with a loud splash in the cold water. "LINK!!" she shouted, coming up to the surface. But she could hardly hear herself over the crashing noises of the waterfall behind her. She stuck her head under water again, and saw a body slowly sinking to the water's floor.  
  
Instantly she swam towards it. As she got closer, she recognized that it was Link, all right. The princess made her way towards him as fast as she could--which really isn't too fast when you're trying to swim in a dress.  
  
Finally, she reached him. Zelda immediately grabbed Link around the waist and pulled upward.  
  
Uh-oh.  
  
Apparently, Link was a bit heavier than she had hoped for. She looked up to see how close the surface was; her eyes were stinging from being open. It wasn't too far a swim to get their heads above water, and they both really needed a breather.  
  
'Goddesses help me!' Zelda thought to herself, struggling to push herself up. 'If I do not get fresh air, I am going to die!! And so will Link!' With this thought in mind (which should have been obvious), the Princess finally found the strength within herself to pull both herself and Link above the water.  
  
Zelda inhaled as if it was her first breath of life. She didn't realize how long she had been holding her breath. She fought to keep herself afloat; Link's weight was constantly endangering her to go down again. Her heart beat was irregularly fast and her breaths came out unevenly and loudly.  
  
The Princess looked around. The nearest spot for them to rest was the mountain she'd just dove off of--there was a narrow strip of land behind and around the falls. It didn't seem that far away, so Zelda, with one arm still grasping Link tightly, headed for it.  
  
After minutes of treading the water, Zelda decided she had never practiced swimming enough. She was completely tired out.  
  
"Oh, thank Din!" she breathed to herself, upon reaching her destination. "Finally--MADE IT!! HAA HAA!!!"  
  
However, the Princess's glory was cut short when she felt something tugging Link away from her. "Ohhhh no you don't!" she snorted, completely out of breath. Heaving on him as hard as she could, Zelda threw Link onto the sand, then followed him. "Phew!"  
  
"Oh no you don't, yourself, missy," came a dark and ominous voice.  
  
Having dreaded something like this, Zelda turned around. She saw a stout little creature that resembled a rock with webbed feet. It stared back at her, then waddled over to Link and proceeded to drag him back into the water.  
  
Getting really annoyed, Zelda stalked over, smacked the thing on the head, and took Link back. "Just what do you think you're doing, you little beast? Do you have ANY idea how hard I fought to get this guy back?!"  
  
"No, but do you think I care?" the rock-ish thingy asked.  
  
Zelda sighed. "Well, why do you want HIM?"  
  
"We need a sacrifice for our leader. You see, it is because of our sacred leader that this fall has no rocks at its bottom. He eats them all. This way, if it so happens that one of our own falls off the cliff, he'll be there to catch it." The creature grinned at Zelda.  
  
She stared blankly at him. There was a long silence, until she said, "That doesn't have much to do with what you want with my protector."  
  
"Like I said, madam, we need a sacrifice for The Great One," the thing explained. "It keeps him satisfied for a year. I see that you're still not convinced enough to give us that man..." The creature turned around and called out, "I need some backup, boys!"  
  
Meanwhile.....  
  
Saria sat numbly across from the moblin watching her. Her face was sticky with dry tears and she felt quiet miserable at the moment. All the other moblins had gone somewhere, and it was much too quiet.  
  
"Why did you hurt my sister?" she finally asked softly.  
  
The moblin looked over at her, then rolled his eyes. "Don't get soft on me, miss. We didn't 'choose' your sister, we really don't like dealing with elves and such. But if you recall, the moblin that bit your sister did it out of self-defense and in a hurry. It wasn't premeditated, in case you were wondering that."  
  
"Then....why...." Saria shook her head slightly. She didn't really have a question, but there had to be SOMEthing that should be asked at this point.  
  
Again, the moblin spoke. "The reason we attack horses instead of people is because they...function so much better. It's all very confusing, and very hard to explain to someone who doesn't know about it."  
  
"How'd they explain it to you, then?" Saria asked.  
  
Before the moblin could respond, another came up and asked to have a word. The two of them walked a bit away, behind a large boulder. Saria hesitated, then silently crept nearer to hear what they were saying.  
  
"So it's over?" the first one asked.  
  
"Yeah," answered the second. "The leader had this problem before, but I think he thought he'd fixed it. Apparently not, though."  
  
"Ohhh! But, uh, what's he going to do to the girl?"  
  
"What do you think, you idiot? The boss says she's got ten minutes top, and then she'll be back to her normal, every-day, eyes-in-the-right- spot self. No more pyscho killer person. After that, it's curtains."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Don't be stupid," the second moblin sighed. "He was going to kill them both, anyway. But since he thought the red-head was permanently evil, he let her have a bit of fun with that other guy's sword. Thing is, she liked it so much that she hid it somewhere and won't give it up. I think it's an important weapon."  
  
"Obviously."  
  
Saria gasped and went back to her former spot. Malon would be her normal self again within ten minutes, but the leader wanted to kill them .... that didn't leave much time. She glanced in front of her--there were the falls, the same ones Link and Zelda had gone over earlier that day.  
  
It would be now or never.  
  
Suddenly, a horrible shrieking sound came from Saria's right. She saw Malon, still wildly insane, running from a small cluster of moblins. She had the Master Sword in one hand, and a pack of the gang's weapons on her back.  
  
"Get back here!!" one moblin shouted. "The leader wants to speak with you!!"  
  
"N-NO!!" Malon screamed back. "He only wants my sword! MY SWORD!! MY .... prrrrrrecciouss!!!"  
  
"Precious?!" one moblin asked. "That is an UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIP!!"  
  
"Stay away!!" Malon warned, swishing the sword at them--but it was a tad too heavy for her. Wielding it with great gusto, Malon lost grip on the weapon and it skidded on the ground, coming right to a stop in front of Saria.  
  
She looked in front of her, then down, then at Malon, who was charging towards her (followed closely by a mob of mob...lins). Saria's heart rate doubled as she took the hilt of the sword in one hand and got to her feet. Taking a deep breath, she ran as fast as she could towards Malon.  
  
Thinking Saria was planning to run her through, one moblin cried out, "You wouldn't kill your own sister, would you?!"  
  
"I HOPE I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING!!" was Saria's response. She put one arm around Malon's waist, then rushed towards the cliff and leapt off. And if they died, well, they were going to have gotten killed anyway.  
  
"GAAH, THOSE IDIOTS!!" shouted one moblin in despair. "WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE WATCHING HER?!"  
  
Back under the falls....(sorry to be jumping around like this)  
  
Zelda now faced a horde of the small rock-like creatures, who were drawing menacingly closer.  
  
"Now we don't enjoy beating on young women such as yourselves," the first one said. "But we do need a man for our sacrifice, and that's a man you've got there. So you'd save yourself a lot of trouble by just lettin' us have him."  
  
"If you want him, you'll have to get through me first!" Zelda said, placing her weapon-less self in front of Link's body.  
  
"Awww, well ain't that sweet?" one said. "But okay. GET HER!!! YAAAH!!!"  
  
".....whoops."  
  
Then, the whole group of creatures was upon her. Bracing herself for any kind of pain, she threw a well-placed punch in the face of one. It went flying backwards--the Princess would've checked to see if it returned, but she had too many others to deal with.  
  
Surprisingly enough, the creatures were merely talk; they couldn't fight to save their lives. With just one strong kick or punch, they'd be out of the game. As soon as Zelda thought she'd gotten them all, she saw two trying to drag Link back into the water.  
  
"HEY!!!"  
  
They jumped once they saw her coming, and, rather than getting hurt, dropped Link and dove back to the water.  
  
Zelda, a little breathless, ran over to Link and yanked up back to his old spot. Then she paused and looked down at him very hard, for the first time since she had brought him out of the water.  
  
"NO! DON'T TELL ME I JUST FOUGHT THAT BATTLE FOR YOU AND YOU'RE ACTUALLY DEAD!!!"  
  
He couldn't be dead, it was unethical. It was wrong, stupid, pointless. How could Link be dead?  
  
The Princess heaved a sigh. Ticking at the back of her mind was the memory of Link and Saria in that lagoon; like a clock telling her to remember an important appointment. But right now Link was important, and that was that.  
  
She might be too late, but she had to try. Zelda opened Link's mouth slightly, and lowered hers unto his. She breathed into it, giving him air. The Princess repeated it a few more times, all the while thinking, 'Don't leave me here alone, Link....don't go.'  
  
Then he suddenly convlused, and Zelda jumped back. Link turned over on his side and spat out water, his face turning red as more gushed out. He groaned and managed to sit up, looking around.  
  
"Zel?"  
  
"Link, oh thank the Goddesses you're alive!!" Zelda embraced him tightly, crying a little from hysteria.  
  
"Um....Zelda?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"What's....what's that thing?"  
  
Zelda turned around to see the creature in inquiry:  
  
A giant sea serpent, whose head was dangerously close to them, and whose hands sported sharp, pointed claws.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
DUN DUN DUNN!!!!!!!!!!!!! a sea serpent, yes! MUA HA!!! and what WAS saria thinking when she grabbed malon and dove? u'll c, i guess! and when the next chapter comes, u'll find out....um, more. (duh)  
  
so please review, unless it's going to be completely pointless. (cough Dragonkiller cough) Thanks! also, plz read my bio--i listed more story ideas there! MUA HAAA!!! 


	8. Battle At The Falls

A/N: gack, i'm sry its been so long!! and i'm also sry that this chapter is so SHORT!! i didnt have time 2 write more, tho! i hope a new chapter will be up soon! (oh, and in case u 4got, link and zelda are staring at a gigantic sea serpent rite now)  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The Princess stared at the beast in shock. "Oh....my...."  
  
Then the serpent bellowed out a blood-curdling shriek and thrusted its head towards the two elves. Instinctively, Link grabbed Zelda and rolled sharply over to the left. She stared at him in surprise, and he hastily helped her stand up.  
  
"Curses, we haven't any weapons!" Zelda cried, as the monster prepared to strike at them again.  
  
"Then we're going to have to keep on dodging it until it gets tired!" Link yelled.  
  
"Is that possible?! Oh, Goddesses help us!"  
  
Help was on the way. For at that exact moment, who should come flying into the scene, screaming their heads off, but Saria and Malon. With a loud "OOF!" the two of them landed on the head of the enormous sea creature.  
  
"WHAT IN DIN'S NAME IS THIS THING?!" Saria shouted, grabbing onto one of the serpent's scales as it tried vainly to buck her off.  
  
"IT'S A SEA SERPENT, GENIUS!!" Malon yelled in response, now thankfully back to her normal self. "HERE, TAKE THIS!!" She handed her sister a bow and a handful of arrows. Then Malon suddenly remembered that she had Link's sword. "HEY, LINK!! CATCH!" She took the sword off her back and threw it down to Link.  
  
"Oh my Goddesses!" Zelda cried. "Talk about luck!"  
  
"This isn't luck, it was fate," Link said in an overly dramatic voice. He took the Master Sword and thrust it menacingly towards the monster. Unfortunately for them, it seemed completely undaunted. Then, with one sudden toss of it's head, the serpent sent Malon and Saria flying.  
  
They landed roughly on the sand next to Zelda, who offered them both a hand to stand back up. Saria took out an arrow and shot it towards the monster, hitting it in the shoulder. Unfortunately, the weapon was so small that it had no effect whatsoever.  
  
"Well, that't didn't work," Malon remarked dully.  
  
The serpent struck again, quicker this time, and catching Link by surprise. In one quick movement, the warrior disappeared into the creature's mouth.  
  
"Oh my Godd—" Malon started.  
  
Zelda grabbed a bundle of arrows off of Saria's back and leapt onto the sea serpent's head (which, conveniently, was still resting not that far off the ground). Slipping a bit on the wet scales, she made her way slowly towards it's pointed face.  
  
"PRINCESS, YOU'RE GOING TO FALL!" Saria cried out. "YOU'RE FIGHTING A LOST CAUSE!"  
  
"I'M NOT!" Zelda shouted back. "LINK IS STILL ALIVE, I KNOW HE IS!!"  
  
"She's gone mad!" Malon muttered to herself. "What does she think she's doing?!"  
  
Managing to stay atop the serpent's violently shaking head, Zelda shrieked loudly and plunged one of Saria's arrows into it's eye. The beast roared in agony, twisting around in the water and rocking its head from side to side. Blood rained down on Saria and Malon, who were too worried to be disgusted.  
  
"DON'T JUST STAND THERE, DO SOMETHING!!" Zelda called to them, continuing to stab the serpent with the arrow.  
  
"Well what--!" Then Saria noticed the Master Sword, which had fallen out of Link's hand before getting devoured. She ran towards it, then headed towards the sea serpent and chopped away at its middle, like an axe at a tree trunk.  
  
Infuriated, the serpent collapsed to the ground, writhing and nearly hitting Saria several times. Finally having it on its back, Saria thrusted the sword into its flesh and tore downwards. After a few more deafening yowls and shrieks, the monster's noises seemed to cease. Then suddenly, it turned its head and vehemently coughed up blood, among other things. One of those other things was—  
  
"Link!" Malon cried, rushing over to him. Zelda slid off of the monster (which had finally died) and ran over to him as well. Saria stayed where she was, and Malon, feeling awkward, walked over to her.  
  
Zelda got down on her knees beside him and took his hand. He was dead. "Link..."  
  
She remembered what he had said to her earlier, about how they needed to distinguish what had happened between him and Saria before one of them died. The Princess was only realizing it now how important that had been.  
  
"Oh, curse me and my stupid pride!" Zelda whispered to herself, putting an arm around Link and caressing him gently. "I'm sorry..." Among the sweat and blood, a few tears coursed down her cheeks as she squeezed Link's hand gently.  
  
She felt him squeeze back. Shuddering, Zelda looked down at Link and watched him slowly sit up. The Princess released him and fell back a bit from shock. They stared at each other a few moments longer, until Zelda managed to whisper,  
  
"You're...still alive...how?"  
  
"Well, with a big serpent comes a big mouth," Link responded. "It started screeching, and I knew you guys were putting up a fight, so I grabbed a hold on something sticking out of its teeth." He shrugged, as if being swallowed by a giant sea serpent was a daily routine.  
  
The Princess eyed Link warily then took two steps towards him and drew him into a tight embrace. "Never ... do that ... to me again," she whispered.  
  
Link pulled away from her with surprise. "You're going to forget it then?" he asked, as if scarcely believing what he was hearing.  
  
"Forget what?" Zelda asked him with a grin. Then she pulled him back to her and kissed him ardently. She drew away from him and quietly said, "I'm sorry for the awful things I said to you .... I love you, and that's all that matters now."  
  
"Well, looks like they're back on speaking terms again," Malon sighed happily, slinging a bag over her shoulder (she and Saria had seen them; albeit from a distance). "But are you still--"  
  
"Heck no, I'm over him," Saria laughed, gathering up the arrows that had fallen out of their pouch. "Besides, I'm glad he's with the Princess, because I know that she's who he really loves."  
  
Malon beamed at her. "In that case, seeing as how you've managed to mature a little, help me in breaking Link's lips off of Zelda so we can get a move-on, huh?"  
  
***Meanwhile, the Triforce of Power still waits to be found***  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: BWA HA HA HAAAAAAA!! and that is all 4 now, sry 2 say. plz review!! 


	9. Goron Town

A/N: geez!! that took 4ever 4 me 2 come up w/ more ideas!! (sry, finals week. i've gotta b working!!) neway, more lz romance in this chapter!! i hope u like!  
  
----------------------  
  
"ROLE CALL!!" Malon shouted, holding out an old piece of parchment. "SARIA!"  
  
"Present."  
  
"LINK!"  
  
"Here."  
  
"PRINCESS!!"  
  
"Present."  
  
"MALON!!" ............ "MALON!!..........oh yes, that's me." Malon rolled up the paper and put it away. She mounted her horse. "Now that that's out of the way, let's get a move on, eh?"  
  
Link climbed onto his horse and held out his hand for Zelda. She smiled and took it, mounting behind him. Saria was quite relieved that the two were back together again, and she got onto her own horse.  
  
"Let's see....now that we've reached this area, we'll need to move east," Link said, tracing the map with his finger. "All right then, follow my lead, you two."  
  
For a long time, they galloped along in silence. Then, to their surprise, they came across a tiny town that had not been marked on the map. It looked to be small and primitive, made up mostly of small huts.  
  
"What's going on over there?" Saria asked curiously.  
  
They could all hear loud music and cheering coming from the center of the town; they appeared to be having a celebration of some kind.  
  
"Hmm...." said Malon, squinting her eyes. She repeated the author by saying, "they appear to be having a celebration of some kind." The four of them ventured a little closer, then stopped as one of the people saw them.  
  
"LOOK, IT'S MORE PEOPLE!!" the thing shouted with happiness, bounding towards them.  
  
"Hey, it's a Goron!" Link said, immediately recognizing now that it had come closer. "Hi!"  
  
The Goron looked up at them curiously. "You're from Hyrule, aren't you?" he asked.  
  
"How'd you know?" Saria inquired.  
  
The Goron grinned. "Is that not Princess Zelda sitting upon that horse?"  
  
"Um, yeah, that's me," Zelda said, blushing a little, wondering how this living rock knew her name.  
  
"We have been awaiting visitors from Hyrule!" the Goron shouted.  
  
"No you haven't," said a larger goron. He saw Link, then burst into a giant smile. "Link!"  
  
"Darunia!" Link said, getting off of his horse (the other three followed suit). He shook the Goron King's hand. "How's it going?"  
  
"Just fine, boy, fine," Darunia said, clapping him on the back and nearly causing him to fall over. "I was just here visiting my Goron cousins. They're celebrating the fact that the autumn season has just finished." He leaned closer to Link, saying, "They like winter. A lot."  
  
"Come, come!" said the other Goron. "You must join us!!"  
  
"Well, you know us, Link!" Darunia laughed. "Nothing we like more than some friends! The more the merrier, right, Norad?"  
  
"Yes, yes!" answered the Goron apparently called Norad, jumping up and down from anticipation.  
  
"What do you say?" Darunia asked. "You four think you could take a break from your mission to have a rest?"  
  
"Well actually, we only just continued on our way from a holdup--" Saria began.  
  
"But we'd love to stay for the night," Link interrupted, smiling. As Darunia and Norad lead them to the bonfired, he muttered to Saria, "they might be insulted if we don't accept. Besides, it could be dangerous to travel this road at night."  
  
"My friends!" Norad boomed, addressing the other Gorons. "I would like to present to you Princess Zelda of Hyrule!!"  
  
The Gorons broke into tremendous applause. "And Link, her...escortee!"  
  
Link smiled uneasily as the Gorons clapped again. Norad turned to Link and asked something. Then he faced his people again, declaring, "And these are their noble companions, Malon and Saria!!"  
  
"YAYYY!!!" came the roar of approval from the Gorons. One of them rushed up, holding what appeared to be a bundle of rocks and leaves.  
  
"Here ya go," he said, handing each one of them a necklace made of jasper. "And for the Princess, we have made you this crown of leaves and flower petals."  
  
"Oh, thank you so much," Zelda laughed, taking the "crown" and putting it on. The leaves were a deep crimson color, and the petals a light pink (Link couldn't stop staring at her).  
  
"Say, Darunia," said Link. "You know that song I played for you once, the one you really really liked?"  
  
"Yes, yes!" Darunia laughed.  
  
"Well, Saria's the one who taught it to me, and she's even better at it," Link said. He took out his ocarina and threw it to her. "Go on Saria, play your song. They'll love it."  
  
"Um, okay," Saria said with an uneasy smile. She took the ocarina and began to play. Darunia's smile covered his face.  
  
"WOO!! WOO-HOO!!! OH YEAH!! HOT!! WHAT A HOT BEAT!!!" He was dancing like crazy, and the other Gorons had done so as well. "YEEEE-HAW!!!!"  
  
Link laughed loudly. Zelda and Malon stared at them, their faces quite expressionless (but getting the point across that they were scared). Link laughed even harder at this.  
  
Saria eventually lowered her ocarina, and Darunia wiped a tear of joy from his eyes. "Ahh, excellent! Nothing like a bright, chipper tune to get you out of the duldrums, eh? Ah, but what am I doing? ORCHESTRA!! If you please."  
  
The Hylians turned their attention towards a small group of Gorons, all of whom appeared to be holding crude instruments. Once they started playing, the whole population began to dance about around the giant fire.  
  
One Goron came up and asked Malon to jump about in a circle with him. She flushed red, but accepted. Another Goron came up, and grabbed Saria by the wrist, not even bothering to ask for the dance. He rocketed around the site, with Saria barely managing to hold on.  
  
(A/N: have any of u seen disney's cartoon, the legend of sleepy hollow? u know that part where the fat lady is dancing w/ brom bones at katrina's party? that's how this goron is dancing w/ saria.)  
  
"Come on, Link," laughed Zelda. "Let's go!" She took his hand, and the two of them flung themselves into the group of Gorons.  
  
The came to a stop, and Link took both of her hands. "This is a dance move I used to do with my sister all the time," he said. He began to spin in a circle, and Zelda began to do the same, so as not to fall.  
  
"When does it stop?" Zelda asked, as they continued to hold onto each other's hands and spin around.  
  
"It doesn't, really!" Link answered. "Just when you want it to!"  
  
Zelda grinned and closed her eyes. "AHHH!!!"  
  
"WOAH!!!"  
  
Soon, they were twirling so fast that tears were clinging to their eyes. Finally, Link collapsed to the ground, making Zelda fall as well.  
  
"Agh, stop the ground, I want to get off!" Zelda laughed, trying to stand up. But the world was too distorted at the moment, so she settled for crawling towards Link. "How on earth did you two come up with that move?"  
  
"I don't know," Link panted. "We just sort of started doing it one day, when we were really bored. Just to see how long we could do it for... Phew, I'm dizzy."  
  
"So am I," Zelda panted, wiping her brow.  
  
Link smiled, and Zelda blushed. He looked so perfect right now; his face illuminated by the light from the fire, his hair falling in his face and also onto the ground. Zelda reached down and slowly stroked his face  
  
"Zel..."  
  
She leaned downwards and softly kissed his waiting mouth. Link reached up and pulled her closer, as her arms closed around his shoulders. Sitting right by the huge fire, the temperture was suddenly sweltering; but neither of them seemed to notice.  
  
The Princess kissed him one last time, then sat up. Link followed suit, unable to keep a grin off his face.  
  
"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" came a loud, familiar sounding voice.  
  
The two of them looked up to see Darunia walking towards them, laughing. "Looks my little brother's grown up a bit, eh?"  
  
"Uh--"  
  
"Anyway, a few of my men have just finished setting up tents for you guys," Darunia said, as Link and Zelda stood up. He grinned. "Maybe I should've told them to get just three tents instead of four!"  
  
"Darunia!" Link said, blushing.  
  
"Ah, sorry boy," Darunia chuckled. "Anyhow, I'd better be going. Good to see you again, boy."  
  
"Good to see you, too," Link responded.  
  
Darunia shook his hand, then turned to leave. "Name the baby after me!"  
  
Zelda's mouth dropped and she turned crimson from embarassment. Her only consolation was that Link was too. "Erm...Sorry about that," Link muttered, holding out a hand.  
  
"S'okay," Zelda laughed softly. She took his hand, and they followed Malon and Saria to where their tents were. "Goodnight."  
  
"Night."  
  
------------------------------  
  
Link stirred as he saw light briefly flood into his tent. He stiffened: someone just came in. Instinctively, he reached for his sword, then heard the distinct sound of female laughter.  
  
"Relax, it's just me," said Zelda.  
  
"Oh." Feeling a bit silly, Link put the sword back in its sheath. He suddenly felt very apprehensive. "Um...what is it? Is something wrong?"  
  
"No, not really," Zelda said lightly, making her way towards him. "I just wanted to see something." She reached out and punched Link's arm.  
  
"OW!!"  
  
"That's what I thought," Zelda sighed. "I barely touched you, and you're freaking out. I think you got an injury in that battle against the sea monster."  
  
Link rubbed the spot. "....yeah, it was hurting a while ago. There's a scar there."  
  
"Oh..." Zelda said, feeling a little guilty for some reason. "Do you-- do you want me to heal it? I could use magic..."  
  
"No, no, that's all right," Link said, waving a hand dismissively. "It's just a scar, it'll go away."  
  
"All right." There was a short silence. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay." A few moments later, Zelda made to leave the sent.  
  
Link sat up and took hold of her arm. "Wait a minute, Zel." His eyes were beginning to adjust to the dark, and he saw her look back at him innocently. "D'you--d'you think you could just stay here?"  
  
Zelda stared at him a moment longer, then looked a little crestfallen. She sighed deeply. "Link, I'm too afraid of what might happen. I don't think we'd be able to... to..."  
  
"What, control ourselves?" Link asked, with a grin. He gently pulled Zelda down next to him. "I think we could."  
  
The Princess breathed in sharply when Link suddenly pressed his lips down onto her neck. She didn't fight when he held down her arms and moved his kisses up towards her face. Zelda moaned very softly as Link moved his hands to her waist and his tongue to her ear. She shivered; he seemed to be succumbing to some animal instinct that had come up a long time ago.  
  
"Link..." she whispered hoarsley, when he started moving his hands up the curves of her body.  
  
Horrified, he came to a stop. Why couldn't he stop touching her? She looked up at him with fear. "I....told you," she whispered. "We cannot do this, Link. It's not honorable. Not in the least." She sat up slowly and faced him as he hastened to move off her. "I know it's what you want, Link. And it might even be something I want, too."  
  
Link looked up at her, a little confused at what she was saying.  
  
"But if you want to be brave, and if you want to be a hero...." The Princess closed her eyes and sighed. "You will wait."  
  
He looked at her, then nodded. "You are right, Princess. I'm sorry."  
  
Her heart rate slowly began to beat normally again, and her breaths were no longer sharp. "I forgive you, Link," Zelda said seriously. She saddened when Link looked hurt and offended. The Princess smiled wistfully, then kissed him one more time.  
  
"Good night."  
  
"Good...night."  
  
-----------------------  
  
A/N: ahhhh, yes! abstinence! i hope that was ok!! PLZ review! 


	10. Of Assassins and Chickens

A/N: yay!! another chapter. i wouldve update sooner, but the stupid document manager was being STUPID!!! neway, read on, everybody!!

--------------------------

Dear Princess,

Is your quest going well? I've been praying every night to the Goddesses that you, Link, and your friends are all right. I've been very worried; you know how I am. Always stressing about the smallest things. But I can't help it, you know? Raising you all these years, it feels as though you are my own daughter.

It is strange to wander the hallways of the castle and not bump into you. I expect to hear you playing your harp in the music room, hear you singing in the courtyard, or see you reading in the library. All the servants agree with me--not having you here makes the castle seem so empty. It's darker, colder, and just not full of life anymore.

We miss Link a lot, as well. I especially have become accustomed to looking out a window and seeing him riding Epona across the fields, or seeing him in town. I know you'll laugh at me saying it, but I've always felt that there's been something going on between you two (that's why I was always suspicious about letting him into your room in the evening. But there I go, being overprotective again).

I had a terrible dream last night. Ganondorf was it; and he had the Triforce. Standing behind him was an entire army of ReDeads, clutching Hylians and torturing them. And there were Octoroks, and Like Likes, Wolfos, Skullkids, and just every monster I could think of. I teamed up with Link to find you, because I knew Ganondorf would want you gone. I was terrified when we finally discovered where you were.

You were encircled by Ganon's army. Then the Gerudo King yelled something I didn't catch and you were surrounded by a pink light. Then suddenly, both of you were gone. I don't understand what the dream meant; because I cannot bring myself to think that he will get the Triforce before you do.

Good luck, Princess.

Love,

Impa looked down at the letter she had just written. Tears stung her eyes, and she crumpled up the parchment and threw it into the fire place. She often wrote letters for the sake of getting feelings out, and never sent them. She couldn't have sent this one anyway, seeing as how she didn't know where Link and Zelda were.

Shuddering and sighing deeply, Impa stood up slowly and walked out of her room. She began to aimlessly walk in the hallways of the castle. After a few minutes of this, she came across a room that looked like it was not occupied very much.

Cautiously opening the door, Impa coughed at all the dust that rose in the air. She lit a candle in the room and gasped softly. It was basically a junk room; several things were piled up on each other in no specific fashion. The objects looked very old, as if they had gone untouched for years.

Curiously, Impa began sorting through some of it, wondering if she would recognize anything. An old tapestry featuring an ogre, a chastity belt, and a purple robe were all covering several boxes. With a grunt, Impa moved the boxes off of an old cradle.

Immediately, Impa recognized it as the one Zelda had had as a baby.

Smiling, Impa stroked the dusty blanket that lay inside the cradle, wishing Zelda was there to see it. Then she began to take notice of how hot it was getting. The nurse maid saw a window on the far side of the room and went to open it. A fresh breeze came into the room, and then Impa's eyes rested on something else.

It was an old ocarina. She picked it up, running her hands over its rough edge. Lying close to the instrument was ragged doll, who looked as if a certain little Princess had loved it too much; it's clothes were torn and its face was considerably dirty. Impa laughed out loud softly.

She walked back to the cradle, with the doll in one hand and the ocarina in the other. Then she placed the doll gently under the coverlet in the cradle, and sat down on a stack of boxes.

Quietly, she began to play Zelda's Lullabye.

-------------------------

"Well, Darunia, thanks again," said Link, mounting Epona. "It was very kind of you to let us stay here for a while."

"My pleasure, son," said Darunia, waving a hand. "Well, good-bye, then!"

"Bye!"

"Well, he seems nice," remarked Malon, as they continued their venture.

"Yeah, he is," Link said.

The next few minutes were quite uneventful. The four of them could only hear the sounds of their horses' hooves slowly touching the ground; all else was nearly silent. That was when Zelda became suspicious.

"Stop," she whispered to Link. He gently pulled on Epona's reins, then looked over his shoulder questioningly at Zelda.

"What is it?" he asked.

Slowly, the Princess dismounted the horse. She looked cautiously around her. "It's too quiet," she answered.

"You're right," Malon agreed, sliding off her own horse as well. She looked at the scenery around them. "There doesn't appear to be even a bird fluttering in the trees..."

"Where are we?" Saria asked nervously, still atop her horse.

"I don't think we're anywhere important," Link answered, who hadn't gotten off of Epona yet. "Because it's not exactly marked on the map." He looked up, then back down on the map. "This is all so confusing .... we're by the woods, but there isn't one marked on here..."

"Zelda!!" Saria suddenly shouted. In one cobra-quick movement, she swung off of her horse and landed on her feet before the Princess. Malon was stunned to see Saria clutching an arrow in her fist, right in front of her heart.

"Where in Din's name did that come from?!" Malon asked, running towards her.

"It came just from up there!" Saria answered, pointing straight ahead.

"Oh, Goddesses, Saria," Zela moaned, putting a hand to her face. "If you hadn't seen that arrow and grabbed it, I'd have died! And you, you might've gotten hit if you hadn't caught it!"

"It's all luck," Saria said, dropping the arrow bitterly. Blood began pouring out of her palm where she'd caught it's stone head, and she swore loudly at the cut. Zelda quickly tore off one of her sleeves and tied it around the wound.

Before Saria could thank her, Link (who, by now, was on his feet), said to Malon, "Obviously we're not alone. It could be dangerous to go up ahead. This thing apparently knows exactly where we are, but we have no ways of locating it."

"It seems we're at the disadvantage here," Saria said, shaking her hand to get rid of the pain. She picked up the arrow that had been shot. "I'd say it was a moblin, but the design is too crude."

"Yes," Malon agreed, taking the arrow from her sister and inspecting it. "It's not classy enough to be a moblin arrow. It might be--"

"LOOK!" Link suddenly shouted. "A CHICKEN!!"

"Hey, it IS a CHICKEN!!" Zelda screamed, pointing at the foul not to far away from them.

"........................so?" Malon asked, failing to see how it was relevant.

"If there's a chicken, it must mean there's a town nearby," Link explained. "This having been said, we can ask the townspeople what local crazy kooks may be out to kill Princesses."

"I think all this bad air has gone to their heads," Saria whispered to Malon.

"Well, there IS a chicken over there," Malon said.

"C'mon, Link!" Zelda shouted. "Let's go follow it!!"

"Okay!"

Arm in arm, the two of them chased the chicken down the dirty path, leaving Epona and two bewildered sisters behind.

"W-WAIT!!" Malon yelled. "THERE ARE ASSASSINS DOWN THERE!! Argh! Saria, c'mon! We've got to follow them!" Motioning for Saria and the horses to follow, Malon raced down the dirt path as well. "LINK! PRINCESS! WAIT UP!!"

"I'm gonna get you!" Link said to the chicken, who was presently squawking it's little head off.

"Hey, look!" Zelda said. "MORE chickens!!"

Indeed, there was a large herd (herd?) of chickens gathered at the top of a hill. The chicken Link and Zelda were chasing buh-gawked a loud warning to them, and they all scrambled to get away from the insane elves.

"I've got one!" Link yelled triumphantly, throwing himself on top of a struggling chicken.

"Me too!" Zelda said, grabbing a chicken that was jumping about hysterically. She started running with the thing, the bird over her head, and when she reached the part of the hill that declined, she was amazed to discover the bird was flying with her. "HEY, LINK!!" she shouted. "CHECK IT OUT--I'M GETTING CARRIED BY A GIANT CHICKEN!!"

Not to be outdone, Link followed Zelda's example and flew off the hill. The chicken he had selected was panting and constantly in danger of falling back to the ground. "MY CHICKEN APPEARS TO HAVE PROBLEMS STAYING AT THE SAME ALTITUDE," Link observed, calling out to Zelda.

"THAT'S BECAUSEYOU'RE TOO HEAVY FOR IT!!" Zelda said mockingly.

"What's gotten into them??" Saria asked, deeply concerned.

"I don't know," Malon answered, heaving deep breaths. She came to a halt near the end of the woods and dismounted her horse. Saria followed suit, and the two of them looked about anxiously.

"That arrow came from up here," Saria said quietly. "That means there's a hunter somewhere nearby."

Malon squinted and got her pack of arrows off her horse's back. She pulled one up to her bow, and walked around slowly in a circle. She stopped suddenly, and nodded her head slightly to the left. "I just saw some plants move back there," she whispered.

Saria got out a bow and some arrows as well. She jumped when Malon swiftly let her weapon fly, and they both heard a thud as it hit the target. They looked dumbfounded when a dead rabbit appeared under a bush.

"That's what was moving the plants," Saria said through gritted teeth. She slowly began to walk towards the small creature.

"Don't walk over there," Malon said in a steel voice. "Rabbits don't shoot arrows; and somebody's in there." Gradually, she lowered her bow. "This would be a lot easier if Link and Zelda would come to their senses and--"

Malon shouted out in surprise as an arrow went whizzing past her ear. She and Saria turned about abruptly and saw an armored man walk out of the forest opposite them. He was tall and muscular, holding a large bow by his side.

"I shot that one to get your attention," he growled menacingly. He shifted his head to look at the quivering Saria. "You stopped my arrow from hitting the Princess. Why?"

"Well, because it would have killed her," Saria answered bluntly.

"Oh. Does this mean you didn't want her to die?" the man asked curiously.

"Ya think?" Malon asked.

"What're you four doing in these parts anway?" he continued.

"We got lost on our way to Planet Paradise, I'm afraid," Malon said coolly, clearly not afraid of the humongous figure before her.

He glared down at her. "You've got a mouth on you, haven't ya?"

"That's what this is; yes," Malon responded, pointing to her mouth.

"Malon, I don't think you should tempt him into getting angry," Saria whispered.

"Yeah, why don't you listen to her?" the man laughed. "Trust me, you're much better off by not makin' me mad."

"I'm not afraid of you," Malon said truthfully. "I knew what kind of man you were as soon as we saw that arrow. It takes a coward to attack in secret, where no one can see you and have a fair fight."

::Oh, I'm going to use that against her some day,:: Saria thought.

"So I'm afraid now, am I?" the man asked, flexing his arms. "Well, we'll just see how cowardly THIS is." He lunged forward and grabbed Malon by the neck, then turned and pinned her to a tree.

Choking, Malon grabbed his fist (slightly larger than her head), and struggled to pry his fingers off of her, as he raised his free arm. Saria looked on in horror as she saw Malon's feet leave the ground and she realized that the man was lifting her up to his level.

"It's--not--through yet," Malon managed to spit out.

The man smiled wickedly. "Of course not. I haven't killed you, so it's NOT over. I don't appreciate it when lowly wenches tell me I'm a coward."

"So what would you do if a royal wench told you you were a coward?" came a voice from behind him.

Surprised by this outburst, the man turned around, slightly loosening his grip on Malon. His eyes widened when Zelda (who else) reached out with a bow in hand, and threw it over his head and around his neck. She pulled on the two ends of the arrow, hoping to choke him, but her plot was foiled somewhat when the bow snapped in half.

"................................................oops."

Grinning, the man dropped Malon to the ground and swung a fist towards Zelda. Unfortunately for him, she was much quicker. "LINK, A LITTLE HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED!!" she shouted, landing on the assassin's back.

Right on cue, Link flew into the scene, sword in hand. He slashed at the giant man's arm, cutting it completely off. He screamed in agony at the loss, and Link frowned as Zelda hopped down.

"It always pains me to see a grown man cry," Link sighed.

"I am NOT crying!!" the man sniffed.

"Well then shed those crocodile tears and die like a man!" Saria yelled, taking Link's sword and plunging it into the man's back. He screamed again, and writhed on the ground as Saria twisted around the sword. When she finally yanked it out, he was--

"Dead as a doornail," Malon said.

"How dead IS a doornail, anyway?" Zelda asked. "I've always wondered."

"You know what, that's irrelevant," Saria said. "What I want to know is WHAT was going on with you two and those poor, innocent chickens."

"What chickens?" Zelda asked. "Ohhh, you mean the chickens....didn't Link tell you? Chickens mean towns. So we thought we'd follow them to the nearest town, and then we realized that we'd left you two and the horses behind. So, we turned around and came back."

"Just in time, too, it seems," Link observed, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, thanks so much," Malon said.

"BUT LET'S GO CATCH THE CHICKENS AGAIN!!" Link shouted with extreme enthusiasm. Saria stared at him, then gave him a quick slap across the face. He put a hand to the place she'd hit, rubbing it, then said, "Um, thanks."

"No problem," Saria said nonchalantly. "C'mon, let's go find that town you two are so passionate about getting to."

"Alrighty then," Zelda said. "Let's go!"

---------------------------------------

The four adventurers came upon a small inn and decided that's where they would be staying.

"Phew, I'll be glad to finally be able to sleep in a real bed," Malon sighed, as they put their horses in the stable. "Sleeping on the ground really isn't my thing."

"I didn't mind it so much," Saria said, shrugging. "Although I guess it'll be nice to stay in a bed for a couple of nights."

"Hey, where's Link?" Malon asked, taking the bridle off of her horse.

"The innkeeper's showing him our rooms," Zelda answered, automatically running a hand through Epona's mane. "We're supposed to go in and find them as soon as we're through with the horses."

"Well, that would be now, I guess," Saria pointed out. The three of them walked out of the stable and towards the inn.

Link greeted them at the entrance. "Hello, ladies."  
  
"Um...hello," Malon said back. "Did you see the rooms?"

"Yup," Link repsponded, nodding. "Not bad, considering the cheap price I got them for. So Malon, are you and Saria sure you don't mind sharing a room?"

"You kidding? It's no problem," Malon said, waving her hand. "We share a room at home, so we might as well do it now for a smaller price."

"Yeah, I'd share a room with Zelda if it wasn't...erm...." Link started.

"Indecent," Zelda whispered with a smile.

"Um, yeah."

"So's there a bar in this place?" Saria asked, stepping inside. "I'm practically dying of thirst over here."

"Yeah, there's one over there," Link answered, guiding the others towards it. They sat down at a circular table, and pudgy man approached them. After telling him their orders (and he walked away), Link said to Zelda, "Was it your chicken that led us here?"

"Yeah," Zelda answered, seeming proud. "I think it was her we were following, at least. Lucky for us that she felt like going home, eh?"

"Yes, but I'd still like to know a thing or two about that thug we met in the woods," Malon said, shivering. "It seems that he knew who you were, Zelda, and he was quite keen on seeing you destroyed."

"Gee, thanks, I'll sleep so soundly tonight, knowing that," Zelda said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"We'll have to see if anyone here knows who he was," Saria decided. "Maybe they know if he's part of a cult or something."

"Yeah, we can ask the waiter when he gets back," Link said.

They waited around for the waiter to return. When he did, and had set down all their drinks, he realized that they were all staring at him.

"Um....is there something else I can do for you?" he asked uncertainly.

"Yes, pull up a seat," Malon replied, motioning towards a chair near her.

The waiter nervously dragged the chair towards their table and looked at the four of them. Malon and Link sat opposite each other, both slumped in their seats with their arms crossed (and both looking intimidating, with their respective dagger and sword tucked in their belts); Saria sat fidgeting between Malon and Zelda, with her chin in her palms; and the Princess was next to Link, sitting perfectly straight and frowning at Link's bad posture. The waiter waited for one of them to say something.

"SO," Link said loudly, breaking the silence around them. The word hung in the air alone, until Link sat up straighter and looked at the man. "We had a little mishap in the woods and we were wondering if you could help us at all."

"What happened?" the waiter, whose name happens to be Daniel, asked.

"Well, Daniel," Malon said, reading his nametag, "it's a very tragic story, but I'm sure you're up to it. We came across an assassin."

Daniel's eyes widened. "You mean .... was he very big?"

"Huge," Saria answered. "Oh, you should've heard the man rumble--!"

"Like a coach on cobblestones," Malon sniggered. "Anyway, this guy seemed intent upon getting rid of our palsy walsy here." She pointed at Zelda. "So we were wondering if you would know anything about this strange occurance ..... or was he just some man who enjoyed randomly killing royalty?"

"Royalty?" their waiter repeated, staring at Zelda.

"Hello; Princess Zelda of Hyrule, nice to meet you," Zelda said, reaching out and shaking his hand.

Nervously, Daniel grasped her hand briefly, then immediately drew his arm back in, as if afraid he would spontaneously combust if he touched her. "W-well, I think I know who it was that you met in the woods."

"Who?" asked Zelda.

"Um...well you know, Death Mountain isn't very far from here, and--"

"It ISN'T?!" Link asked incredulously, whipping out his map. He looked around for their present location, pinpointed it, then gasped loudly. "Good Goddesses, he's RIGHT!!"

"Yes, um, well recently, G-Ganondorf has been very frustrated with the moblins and so he--"

"Frustrated? With moblins?" Saria asked. "Hmmmm, that's interesting."

"Yes," Daniel said. "So lately, he's been hiring the biggest mercenaries he can find, and they've been causing all s-sorts of trouble recently." Daniel gulped and continued. "I hear that Ganon's told them to hide out in the woods and wait for any people entering the town. I guess one of them saw you."

"Yeah, but we took care of him," Link said.

"When they die," Daniel said, "Ganondorf resurrects them."

"He resurrects them?" Zelda asked in disbelief, stressing the middle word.

"Y-Yes," Daniel answered, nodding. "Or at least their skeletons. As Skullkids."

Zelda snorted. "I bet those kinds of skeletons could sure give Hyrule's Skullkids a run for their money."

"Princess, I should like to inform you that you are in grave danger here," Daniel warned her. "I strongly suggest that you leave as soon as possible."

"I'm a Princess, I'm not safe anywhere," Zelda said. "At least, not really."

"Besides, we wouldn't let her get in any danger of any kind," Saria told Daniel. "We try our best to protect our friends." Zelda smiled at her.

"And besides that, we're on the way to Death Mountain as it is," Link said.

"WHY?!" Daniel erupted. "ARE YOU INSANE?!"

"Nah, we're just looking for an ancient artifact that happens to be rather important," Malon said casually. "It just happens to be located in a ratherr inconvenient spot."

"But--but--BUT--!!"

"Listen, pal, we've handled this guy before," Link said, starting to get annoyed by Daniel. "And true, this time he has the home advantage, but that doesn't matter! We've beaten him before, and we'll do it again!!" He paused. "Of course, we always had whole armies at those times, but I'm sure we can still handle this guy."

Daniel rolled his eyes and stood up. "All right. Just don't say I didn't warn ya."

"We didn't plan on it," Malon muttered bitterly, as he walked away. She took out her dagger and used it to pick the dirt out from under her fingernails.

"Malon, I don't think that's very wise," Link counsled her.

"Pffft," Malon sighed. "I do it all the time. I'm not gonna cut myself."

"I'm beginning to think we should've brought more people on this journey," Zelda thought aloud. "I mean, these assassins will be a lot more trouble than moblins."

"What d'you mean?" Saria asked. "We wiped out that guy before."

"One, yes," Zelda pointed out. "But there could be whole multitudes of them out there, waiting for us, and we're not ready for them."

"Zelda, don't dwell on it," Malon sighed. "You know what, we should really just worry about this in the morning." She yawned. "I am beat; I dunno about you guys."

"No, I am too," Link agreed. "Chicken chasing has got me all tired out."

"I can't just STOP thinking about it!" Zelda protested (it took a moment for the others to realize she was talking about assassins instead of chickens). "It's going to haunt me for the rest of my life until we settle it."

"Zelda, we can settle it in the morning," Link assured her. "Don't sweat it. You can live through one night."

The Princess sighed in defeat. "I'm going to have terrible nightmares."

"If you do, you can come and sleep with .... in my room," Link finished uncomfortably. "I could sleep on the floor."

"Link, you know I wouldn't put you in that kind of situation. Besides, switching rooms won't do much for me."

"Perhaps not, but maybe it would provide with you some comfort; just knowing that I'd be right there if anything happened."

Zelda stared at him as he massaged her hand, and she smiled gratefully. "Oh, you're wonderful. Thank you so much." She leaned over and kissed him quickly; then the four of them stood up to go to their rooms.

-------------------

A/N: that okay? i hope so!! b/c it took me 4ever 2 write. plz review!!


	11. Death Mountain

Author's Note: --trumpets sound-- yay! at last my writer's block has gone, and I have updated this story! I don't know if it's any good, but like...here it is.

------------------------

Zelda lay awake in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She exhaled gently, and watched her icy breath furl out in front of her. The Princess clutched the sheets closer to her for warmth. _Oh, this is not going to be a good night_, she thought to herself.

She could hear some people scuffling outside. It sounded as if someone was having a fight. Zelda sighed deeply and buried her head underneath her sheets. Why did people seem to have this desire to be constantly is some kind of battle?

Then she heard something knock against her window. Her first thought was that it was Link, but then Zelda realized he'd come to the door if he wanted to see her. Shivering, Zelda sat up in bed and stared at the window. A shadow appeared to be trying to open it.

"What in Din's name...?" Zelda started.

She jumped when the thing at the window succeeded in opening it. Her eyes widened as a large man approached her bed. Soon Zelda realized it looked similar to the mercenary she and her three companions had fought earlier that day. The man was breathing heavily, and shaking.

"Princess," he said in a low, menacing voice.

"W-what do you want?" Zelda stammered, even though she knew the answer quite well enough (she felt the need to say something).

He smirked, but the Princess couldn't see in the darkness. She drew herself closer to the headboard of her bed as she saw him come nearer. Zelda's breaths come out shorter and quicker, causing small wisps to issue out of her mouth. _Goddesses, this just had to happen now_, she thought to herself.

A deep growl formed in the assassin's throat, and he lunged at the royal. Zelda gasped and side-dodged him, and the large man crashed onto the bed. The Princess skidded to the other side of the room.

"I hope you don't think it'll be so easy getting me out of the way," he snarled. "If you're going to attempt to put up a fight, I'll have to render you unconcscious!" He launched a heavily clenched fist towards the Princess' collarbone.

The impact caused pain that could not be expressed through a scream; and Zelda crashed against the wall releasing only a quiet moan. The first thing she thought was, _Ow_. Then she wondered with annoyance why the inn didn't have better security.

Zelda cringed when the assassin raised a chair to hit her over the head with, but was saved just in the nick of time by none other than Link, who had arrived at just the right time. The hero had suddenly appeared between the man and the princess, and had blocked the chair using his shield.

The assassin stood dumbly in shock for only a moment; but that was enough time for Link to pitch an attack. He thrust his sword through the attacker's middle; and pulled it out slowly as his victim groaned in pain. Eventually he fell to the floor dead.

"Link, how'd you know to come here?" Zelda asked in a hoarse voice, rubbing the spot she'd been hit at.

"Zel, how hurt are you?" Link asked, ignoring her question completely. He sheathed his sword and put his hands to her shoulders in worry. "What'd that monster do to you?"

"Well, he gave me one darn good punch," Zelda said. She pushed her hair out of her face, and tried in vain to inspect her injury. "Ouch...how did he know which room was mine, anyway?"

"I overheard him at the desk," Link said, wearing an expression of intense disgust. "He told the man he was a guard from Hyrule, sent to protect the Princess, and asked for you room number."

Then Zelda noticed a large cut by Link's ear. "Darling, what happened to you?" she asked with concern, putting a hand to his face.

"Oh, that," he said lightly, touching the cut as if to see if it were still there. "I got in a scuffle with that brute earlier." He nodded his head to the dead man behind them. "I immediately knew he was one of Ganon's fighteres, so I pulled him outside and tried to fight him. Now that I think of it, we were just outside your room."

"Oh, _that's_ what I heard earlier," Zelda gasped. "I thought there was someone outside, I just never deduced who it was...and then he beat you?"

"Yeah, and I'm not quite sure how he did, either," Link said very matter-of-factly. "I think I was rather distracted with worry."

Zelda smiled at him. "How very sweet of you." She slowly started to stand, but her legs gave way and she grasped onto a table for support.

"What's wrong?" Link asked, getting to his feet and quickly helping to hold her up.

"I don't know," she whispered. "I had to jump out of my bed to dodge that man's attack, I guess I must have fell on it weird or something... I-I'll be okay, though."

"No, let me help you," Link offered quietly. He gently picked up Zelda, and slowly brought her over to her bed. Once she was securely lying underneath sheets and covers, he asked, "Do you want me to stand outside the door, or do you think you'll be all right for the rest of the evening?"

"Well, I don't know how many more people could try to attack me in one night," Zelda snorted. She pulled gently on Link's hand. "Sit down for a minute."

Raising an eyebrow, he obeyed. The Princess moved over and embraced him tightly. "Uh...Zelda?"

"I love you, Link!" she whispered, crying silently into his shoulder. "You've no idea how grateful I am to you and all you have done for me!" Her fingernails dug into his back as she sobbed. "I've been such a burden, and I haven't done anything for you to--"

"Princess, the last thing you've been to me is a 'burden,'" Link interrupted. He pulled out of her arms and lifted a finger to wipe away the tears falling freely down her face. "And you have done so much for me, that I could not complain about my responsibility to look after you. I do so gladly, because I have your love. And I know that I have your love. That's how I know I can live every day."

Zelda smiled at him. She leaned forward and met him in a brief kiss. "I'm so lucky that you're mine," she sighed. Link's hands went to her waist and he pulled her closer to him; kissing her avidly.

After a few moments, she smirked and pulled away. "Lucky, lucky me," she whispered. "Goodnight, Link. If by some chance my room gets invaded some time later tonight, I know I can count on you to rescue me."

"True," Link said. He stood up and crossed the room over to the door. "Good-night, Princess."

-------------------------------------

"We're leaving today," Link said flatly the next morning at breakfast.

"Really? So soon?" Saria asked, trying to cover a yawn.

"Yes," Link responded. "Zelda got attacked last night by one of Ganondorf's mercenaries. We can't afford something like that happening again."

"We should be able to get to Dark Mountain by this evening," Zelda said.

"So," Malon said slowly. "Any ideas as to how we get to there?"

"By horse?" Link kidded.

"Link, this is not time for jokes," Zelda reprimanded. "Someone's out to kill me, and that's not going to make our trip any easier."

"Yeah, I know," Link muttered, running a hand through his hair. "But if we're going to get the Triforce, we've got to do it quick. Before Ganon realizes where it is."

"Right," Zelda said, nodding. "We leave today. Are you all ready?"

"Pretty much," Saria answered, shifting the weight of a pack on her back.

"Well, that settles that," Link sighed, standing up. "Let's go."

------------Meanwhile------------

"Here," said Ganondorf, handing a small, glass vial to a moblin.

"What is it, my lord?" the moblin asked, peering at the green liquid inside.

"It's a new potion I've concocted," Ganon answered. "If it has been made correctly, it has drastic effects."

"Such as what, my king?"

Ganondorf chuckled softly. "If this potion is drunk... drunk? Dranken? Um .... if it is consumed, it will make the drinker act the exact opposite of how they normally would." He laughed evilly, and the moblin joined him.

Slowly, the moblin's laughter died down. "And.... who exactly is this potion for?"

"For Link, of course," Ganon answered. "He may be an annoying little forest brat who has beaten me one too many times, but as a fighter, he would be invaluable." He grinned. "Do you get my point?"

Realization dawned on the moblin's face, and he began to chuckle darkly. Ganon did as well, until the henchman suddenly stopped laughing and said, "No."

Ganon rolled his eyes. "Fool. If Link is to drink this potion, it will bring him on my side. If he can defeat me, think of what he could do for our side! NOW do you see? Do you see what I mean?"

"So you're saying ..... that if--if Link takes this potion, he'll fight for us, because normally he's fighting against us?"

"Yes!" Ganon cried. "At last, you get it!"

"But, my lord, has this been tried?"

"No, no trial has yet taken place," the Gerudo king answered, pacing back and forth. "That is why I want you to find a speciman we could test it on. It would have to be someone you know pretty well .... I mean, someone who you know enough to know how they'd act. But not a moblin, because then if the potion worked, they'd turn against us. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Do you have someone in mind that you can perform this incredibly easy task upon?"

The moblin smiled wickedly. "I have the perfect one..."

-----------On The Trail----------

As usual, the foursome was riding along, when suddenly Malon came to a stop. Saria and Link glanced over at her, pulling at their reins as well.

"What is it?" the former asked.

"Sh," Malon said, holding up a hand to silence any furthur questions. Slowly she got off her horse, and got an arrow from her stallion's saddle. Holding it up to a bow, she shot it directly at the stump of a tree.

"Ha, ha, you missed!" came a voice.

"I know," Malon said loudly, getting another arrow from her quiver. "I shot that one to get your attention. Now come out from there you spineless creature, or would you prefer I come to you myself and beat you senseless?"

Her three companions, quite confused about the current goings-on, got off their horses as well and were surprised to see a timid moblin hobble towards them.

"Let me guess," Malon said, an arrow still drawn. "Ganondorf sent you."

"Who else?" the moblin muttered.

"What is that behind your back?" Malon asked calmly.

"Nothing," he said quite unconvincingly.

"Give it here," Link demanded, holding out a hand for it.

"_Not on your life!!_" the moblin yowled. And with that, he took from behind his back a small bottle of green elixir. He cut Malon to the chase and splashed the potion on her before she could shoot him.

Malon dropped to the ground and coughed loudly. "What in Din's name _was_ that?!" she asked in a hoarse voice, grabbing her throat.

"You little freak!" Link yelled, lunging at the moblin with his sword.

Cackling evilly, the moblin dodged the attack and dove into the woods. He dropped to the ground and hid behind a clump of bushes to watch what happened to his victim. He saw Saria run over to Malon and try to help her to stand.

"May, are you all right?" she asked worriedly.

"Ugh," was all Malon could utter, shaking her head.

"What did that moblin give to her?" Zelda asked, picking up the bottle.

"I'm betting it was something toxic," Link muttered, peeling the label off the bottle and reading it. "Oh...wait. 'Not poisonous; function is to force people to act opposite of how they normally do.' ...what kind of moron puts _labels_ on their potions?"

"Ganondorf, apparently," Zelda said rolling her eyes. "But if Malon is going to act her total opposite, don't you think that means she could be working against us??"

"That's exactly what Ganon would want her to do," Saria said worriedly, staring at her sister with concern.

Suddenly Malon let out a small groan and collapsed to the ground. She crawled towards a nearby tree and started banging her head on it. "Trees are friends, not food!" she said in a fairly stupid-sounding voice.

Zelda raised a thin eyebrow. "...something is most definitely wrong with that woman. Methinketh this potion is not working in exactly the way Ganon wanted it to." Rolling her eyes she went to help Malon back to her feet.

"Nooo, you're backwards," Malon spluttered, acting almost like a drunk. She nimbly put her hands to the ground, and started walking on them. "You got to walk on your hands, not your feet ... what's wrong with you?" Laughing giddily, she approached her confused horse and said, "C'mon, Thorton! Get on!"

"Wait, I don't get it," Saria murmured. "Isn't that potion supposed to make Malon act the opposite of how she usually does?"

"Yes," Link answered. "Malon is usually very smart and clever. Needless to say, the opposite of that would be a mindless idiot. I think Ganon's goal was to get her to want to fight us, or something."

"Obviously," the Princess sighed.

"Curses!" the moblin muttered under his breath with a scowl

"Yes, well, he's still got a few bugs to work out," Zelda said. She walked calmly over to Malon and bonked her on the head with a log. "Well, that should cover us for a little while."

"Princess, what was that for??" Saria cried, running to her unconcious sister.

"Well, she's not going to help us any in that state, that's for sure," Link answered. "So hopefully the potion will have worn off when she comes to. And if it hasn't .... well, then, I'm at a loss." He swiftly picked up the red-head and settled her onto Saria's horse. "Mind if she rides with you, Saria?"

"Nope," the girl responded, getting onto her horse as well.

"I'll take Malon's stallion," Zelda said, climbing upon the aforementioned animal.

--------------------

It wasn't much later until Link pulled his reins again to stop. "There it is," he said in a quiet voice. It was an unneccessary thing to say, because his two companions had stopped anyway in awe.

Zelda automatically dismounted, and she walked over to Malon--who was still on Saria's horse, in her deep sleep.

"May!! C'mon, get up!" the Princess said sharply, slapping her friend across the face. "Wake up!"

"What happened?" Malon asked groggily, rubbing her head.

"That moblin knocked you out with the stuff you swallowed," Zelda lied. "C'mon, we're at Death Mountain."

"Really? Already?" Malon asked, slowly getting off Saria's horse. "Woah .... it's incredulous to think that we're already here! Just think--now we'll be entering with all these high hopes and dreams of success, and we may not even come out alive!!" She let this sink in, then smiled brightly and said, "So, ready to go?"

"I _was_," Saria muttered, glaring at her.

The small group clustered together and approached the mouth of the cave. "That looks like a... a bit of a way down," Zelda said slowly, her voice cracking slightly. She coughed to cover the fear that had come up in her tone, but the others hadn't even noticed. "We're going to need a rope."

Malon silently dumped a heavy pile of rope on the ground that she had had wrapped around one of her shoulders. The four of them stared at it, each debating in their heads as to whether or not they should pick it up.

"I'll go first," Zelda volunteered, bending down to reach the cord.

"No," Link said, grabbing her arm and stopping her. "Don't be ridiculous, Zelda. What if .... what if something were to happen to you down there? Aside from the fact that I selfishly don't want you to die, we need you to work the Triforce."

"He's got a point," Saria muttered, as Zelda reluctantly straightened. "I'll go down first." Before her comrades could protest, Saria nimbly picked up the rope and tied one end to a rock that was conveniently sticking out of the ground.

"Wait," Link said, just as Saria had finished tying the rope around her waist. "We don't know how far down a climb that is."

"Trust me, this has _got _be enough rope," Zelda sighed.

"No, I mean, Saria's voice might not carry all the way back up," Link said. He thought for a moment, then said, "If--when you reach the bottom, send an arrow back up attatched to the rope."

"Okay," Saria said, putting a bow around her. No one bothered to question how far one of her arrow's could reach--Saria's had no limit of how far they went.

Malon broke down into a sweat as she watched her younger sister descent further into blackness, until she was no longer visible. A few moments later, the redhead got to her knees, subconsciously clasping her hands together. _Please, Goddesses, let her be all right,_ Malon thought to herself, angry that she hadn't gone down first.

After twenty minutes of rigorous rope-climbing, Saria reached the bottom, unscathed (of course). Exhausted, she managed to gather enough strength to hold an arrow up to her bow and shoot. Then she realized just in time that the rope she'd attatched to the arrow was still tied around her waist; and got it off just as she felt it pulling upwards.

"Goddesses, there's her arrow!" Malon said. She and the other two had jumped when it first shot out into the air; it had only just missed hitting Link's leg. Malon ran to where the arrow had landed, and picked it up. "Well, who wants to go next?"

To make a long story short, all three of them eventually reached the bottom of the cave (Link going last, being the gentleman that he was). "Well, I guess that's one hurdle we've managed to jump," he commented, untying the rope.

"But that was probably easy compared to what lies ahead," Malon muttered. "For all we know, there could've been guards down here waiting to catch intruders."

"Oh, I have no doubt that there _are_ guards down here somewhere," Link said casually. "We've just been fortunate enough not to run into any of them yet." He pulled the map out of his pocket. "All right, so we just came in from the north."

"Which means we need to go that way," Malon deduced, pointing down a western walkway. "Goddesses, it's dark down there..."

"Of course it is," Saria sighed. She glanced about the walls for a torch, and found one. But, needless to say, it wasn't lit. Saria sighed again. "Anyone want to rub two sticks together?"

"That's a waste of time," Zelda pointed out. Closing her eyes briefly, she was able to light the torch using Din's fire. "That, my friends, was a neat little trick I learned when I was seven."

"Impressive," Malon said, as Link took the newly-lit torch. She rubbed her hands together. "All right, my fellow adventurers .... _let's go_."

--Meanwhile--

Ganondorf looked up from his book of spells as a moblin came hobbling into his throne room. The moblin, gasping for breath, bowed briefly in front of his master, then straightened.

"You may speak," Ganon said, waving his hand. "Did the potion work?"

"Not exactly, my lord," the moblin said, looking down at the ground.

"What do you mean, not 'exactly'?"

"W-well your highness...instead of turning the victim against Link as we had planned, it turned her rather ... well, rather demented, your lordship."

"What the--_demented_?!" Ganon roared, banging his fist on his throne. "I was sure I'd gotten the potion right this time! I double and triple checked my sources and ingredients several times! How could I have failed??"

The moblin edged back against a wall in fear as his king paced about angrily. Ganon picked up his book again, and scanned the page of the potion he had used. His eyes widened as he found a miniscule asterik next to the title of the potion, and he read the footnote.

"Oh, that's it," Ganon sighed in annoyance.

"H-have you found the problem, sire?" the moblin asked timidly.

"Yes, and I could almost laugh at my stupidity," Ganondorf answered. "According to this book, the mixture will only work correctly on the night of a full moon. Which, if my assumptions are correct, should be in three days time." He smiled wickedly. "Set out again to find our four friends. Follow them until the full moon shows. And then give one of them the potion."

"Of coures, majesty," the moblin said. He bowed, and then quickly exited the room; the sound of Ganondorf's evil cackling echoing behind him.

-----------------------------------

A/N: Go me! I actually added on! please review! OR ELSE!! by the way, even though she'll kill me for this, i have to give credit to a good friend of mine who goes by "woolf apprentice'' for "helping" me out with most of these romance scenes!! and yes! that last ganondorf part was important, just so you know!


	12. Fork In The Road

A/N: Hey, it's been a while! I haven't update since last year! XD that's weird. Anyway, I don't know if this chapter is all that splendid, but here you go anyway.

"Goddesses," remarked Malon, holding the torch out in front of her. "I am starting to believe that this passageway isn't going to end!"

"It's got to," Link said, feeling rather stupid. "I mean, there's no such thing as an endless passageway; it's impossible."

"Leave it to Link to save us with his technicalities," Zelda joked.

"Ha, ha, shut it."

"Shh," Malon said suddenly. The others were silent as she looked slowly about. "Did you hear that?"

"All I can hear is our ragged breathing," Zelda whispered.

"No, it was more of a…hissing sound," Malon said quietly. She held her torch out as far as it would go, extending the light as much as possible. Her eyes shrank. "I swear, I saw something move back."

Saria took the torch and stepped forward cautiously. She did not see anything, but felt the presence of something ominous before them. Her heart beats nearly drowned out the sound of her own voice when she said, "Come out from the shadows. Don't attack like a coward… where are—"

In a flash, a humongous creature lunged from the darkness and pounced upon Saria. The small elf was immediately on her back with this unbelievably gigantic animal on top of her, thrashing its claws at her. Had she not been in such a state of terror, she'd have realized that she was getting attacked by an abnormally sized panther.

Link reached for his sword and slashed at one of the animal's front legs. The panther reared back, emitting a howl, and stared at its disembodied limb. Its surprise allowed Saria to crawl out from underneath its stand, and the panther now turned to face Link, looking rather angry.

Ears plastered to its skull, the black cat roared and lunged at the warrior. Link held up his shield and the animal crashed into it. The panther spat in anger, growling as it limped in a circle around Link.

"Just kill it, it'll bleed to death anyway!" Malon said, trying her best to bandage up her sister.

Link thrusted his sword once more at the beast, but this time the panther dodged him. "Hmmm, I don't think he's going to be shrugged off that easily," Link said to her. "He'll need to be taken by surprise."

Righ on cue, Zelda leapt into the air and gave a frighteningly powerful kick to the animal's head. Her three comrades blinked, wondering if that had really been electricity they had seen come out of her foot when she hit her target…

The panther was sent soaring to the other side of the passageway, where he collided with the stone wall and fell the floor. It let out a depressed moan as blood began to seep out from under it. One or two times the panther tried to stand again, only to fall back down into a pool of its own blood. Eventually it fell silent and did not move.

"Holy Din," Malon said. "Where on earth did Ganon dig up one of those!"

"A formidable foe," Link said, walking over to the carcass and examining it. He ran his hand across the soft, black fur. "It's a shame, really, to kill such an attractive creature as a cat."

"Saria, are you all right!" Zelda asked worriedly. "That was awful—it came right out of no where and just leapt right on top of you!"

"I think the surprise was worse than the injury," Saria assured her. "Link got him just in time… thanks, Link."

"Don't even mention it," Link muttered, standing up and wiping his hands together. "I didn't think Ganon would've gone so far as to have enlisted wild animals such as this… he truly is a wicked man!"

"Something is telling me that that panther wasn't alone," Zelda said uncomfortably. She rubbed the back of her neck and said, "I mean, who's to say there aren't more of those right ahead, waiting for us?"

Link took out his boomerang and hurled it forward. "If it comes back, the path before us is clear."

"Right, because we all know that cats can't dodge boomerangs," Zelda said with sarcasm. "I've got a better idea." She struck a very unique pose, her eyes shut, and she held her arms out in front of her. The Princess appeared to be concentrating very hard, but this didn't exactly register with her friends.

"Um…what's….she doing?" Malon asked.

"YAH!" Zelda ejaculated, flicking her wrist. Way further down the passageway, a burst of light suddenly appeared. It bobbed in midair for a moment, then vanished.

"Did you see anything?" the Princess asked, panting a little.

"Nope," Link asked, failing in his attempt to mask how much he was impressed. "Not one single cat."

"Wow, that was incredible," Saria said, slowly getting to her feet with Malon's steady aide.

"Wasn't it that what you did before to light the torches?" Malon queried. "Only this time it went a lot farther?"

"Precisely," Zelda answered nonchalantly.

"But…mightn't there still be cats down that corridor, your majesty?" Saria asked as politely as she could. "I mean, ones that your magic might have passed by whilst it traveled down the passageway? We wouldn't have seen them…"

"Whilst?" Malon repeated under her breath.

"I'd have known they were there," Zelda said, taking the torch and ignoring Malon's crude statement. "I'd have sensed it as the magic went by it… I'm not sure exactly how to explain."

"Well, let's keep moving then," Link said, slightly shaken. He let out a groan when his boomerang came out of no where and bashed him on the head. "Ah…"

His companions laughed at this; the unexpected force had sent him to the ground. Giggling ruefully, Zelda offered him a hand to stand up. "A nice idea, but maybe you shouldn't throw that thing around if you can't see it coming back to you."

"Ha, ha, yeah, I'll keep it in mind," Link said, rolling his eyes. He took Zelda's hand and got to his feet. "As I was saying, let's go." He gave the Princess's hand a squeeze before letting go.

They walked relatively slowly, as if afraid that they'd get ambushed by a tiger or something each time they turned a corner. Then Zelda saw something that made them all gasp with horror: a fork in the road.

"Ugh, I wonder how old _this_ is," Malon said, picking up the piece of silverware and staring at it.

"That must mean that we're getting close to where Ganondorf stays," Link deduced. "Either that, or we're near his dungeons."

"Does it say on that map of yours?" Saria asked.

Link got out the map and looked carefully. "No, but we should be coming upon a fork somewhere up here."

"Yeah, we did," Malon said, holding up the fork. "Wow, that map is a genius!"

"He means a fork in the _road_, Malon," Saria sighed. "As in there are two different pathways that can be taken…?"

"Oh!"

"I think some of that potion she took may have lingering effects," Zelda muttered to Link. He managed a smile and put away the map.

"There's a fork right in front of us," Saria pointed out. There was silence as each of the four thought to themselves which path should be taken. Finally, Saria said, "I think we should split up. Two and two."

"I don't know," Link said. "If the group without Zelda were to find the Triforce, they wouldn't be able to use it."

"Yeah, but we don't necessarily need to use it right away," Zelda said. "If… the people without me found it, we could meet up later—look." She took the map out of Link's bag and put her finger at the spot where they were. "You see? The two different passageways meet up later?"

"How far is that?" Saria asked. She took an empty torch off the wall and held it to the one they'd been using, making it catch fire. She scanned the map with it.

"There's no distance chart on this map," Link answered for her. "So…it's kind of hard to say how long the pathways are. But that doesn't matter, because I don't think we should split up."

"Link, do you still have your ocarina?" Zelda asked.

"Yeah, here," Link said, taking the instrument out from his bag.

"Keep it," she said. "Saria and I will go down the left passageway; you and Malon go down the right. If you two find the Triforce, play Saria's song. We'll be able to speak with you, then. Walk back to the beginning of the pathway and meet us there." The Princess paused, as if thinking about something else. "Play the song every ten minutes—that way, if you get attacked or captured, we'll know if something is the matter."

The three commoners stared at her.

_There's a flaw somewhere in this plan, I know there is_, Link said. _Or maybe I just don't want to leave her…_

"With all due respect, your highness, is that a good plan?" Malon asked timidly.

"It's more than what you lot are suggesting," Zelda said back. "Or would you rather be with your sister?"

"Um…yes, I think so," Malon said, shifting her gaze towards the weak Saria.

"But then, if you two found the Triforce, you wouldn't be able to contact us," Link said. "And isn't that the point of using the ocarina?"

"YOU KNOW WHAT?" Saria said loudly. The group stared at her, not quite used to her speaking at such a high a volume. She cleared her throat. "I don't think it makes quite a difference. As it has already been pointed out, the tunnels will come back together in the end. I don't know how much that map is in proportion, but if one of us finds the Trifroce, couldn't we just meet up later on? Chances are that if two of us are captured, Ganon's men will enter the other path as well. We're in the same boat either way."

"Um…I think she has a point," Malon said.

"Oh, and I wanted to use my ocarina," Link lamented, frowning.

"There'll be time for that later," Zelda said distractedly. "Kudos, Saria. You and Malon take that way—" She jerked her thumb to the left—"And Link and I will go here."

Without another word, the pairs turned and went their separate ways.

"Are you sure you're okay to walk?" Malon asked, as Saria limped along behind her (at a considerably slower rate).

"Uh, yeah," Saria panted. "I'm fine."

"Of course you are," Malon said sarcastically when her sister fell flat on her face. She sighed. "Drop your pride for a minute and let me carry you. At least for a little while. Just a little… bit?"

"Aw, fine," Saria huffed from her position on the dirty ground.

Malon walked over and picked up Saria. She put one arm underneath Saria's back and the other under her legs. "C'mon…oof."

"Geez, am I that heavy?"

"Ha, no."

There was quietness between them for a few moments as they (or rather Malon) trudged along. "This reminds me of that time when I was six and I fell from the roof… you carried me just like this all the way to a doctor. Do you remember that?"

"Of course I do," Malon answered. "Although your legs were in a much worse fix then than they are now."

"Thanks, Malon," Saria said after a long pause.

"Always there for you, sis." Malon's eyes suddenly widened. "Whoa! Saria, move the torch to the left?"

"What is it?"

"Good Goddesses!" Malon exclaimed, dropping her sister by accident in the shock of her discovery.

"OUCH! Malon!"

"Oh, sorry," Malon apologized, taking Saria's outstretched hand and helping her back up. "I kind of forgot I was holding you."

"Gee. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"What is it that got your attention, anyway?" Saria asked, rubbing her backside.

"Look," Malon said. She took the torch and walked over to what appeared to be a large bookshelf. "Look at all this."

"Wow," Saria breathed, limping over. "…_what_ is it?"

"I have no idea," Malon replied indifferently. "But c'mon, let's look." She picked up a large book and had a coughing fit the second it left the shelf. Dust was everywhere.

"Oh, nice job," Saria coughed, backing away from the shelf and her sister.

"Quiet," Malon muttered, cautiously opening the book. She turned the pages, and her brow furrowed in confusion. "It's in another language…"

"Looks like Ancient Hylian to me," Saria said, looking over Malon's shoulder. "You wouldn't happen to know how to read it, would you?"

"Saria, did I ever go to school?" Malon asked in a falsely sweet voice.

"No."

"Do I _know_ any Ancient Hylians?"

"I don't think so."

"Exactly. I have no idea what in Hyrule this means!"

"Um, why is it here?" Saria wondered, running the torch's light across the rest of the shelves. "I don't see any other books."

"Neither do I," Malon said. "Wait, look—there's something there."

Saria picked up the single piece of parchment. "The ink is very faded … it looks like a diagram or something."

"Keep that," Malon said. "It could be important."

"Do you think that the Princess knows how to read Ancient Hylian?" Saria questioned, carefully folding the paper and sticking it underneath her belt.

"Maybe…but this book is really fat and heavy," Malon said. She skimmed through it. "We can't lug it around with us forever … hmm, these pictures indicate that it's some kind of potion book—"

"Potions could come in handy," Saria said.

"What are the chances of us having ingredients, though?" Malon asked, putting the book back in its place. "Come on…"

**Meanwhile**_…_

For once it seemed that Link and Zelda were having trouble talking. Neither could think of a suitable conversation topic, and each was waiting awkwardly for the other to bring something up.

A couple of times, Zelda swore she could hear Link saying something, and each time she would glance briefly at him. The third time she did this, Link looked over at her with a confused look.

"Is…there something you want to say?" he asked uncomfortably.

"I keep thinking that I hear you talking," Zelda sighed. "Are you muttering under your breath to yourself, or something?"

"No," he answered, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're hearing right?"

His answer came when the Princess came to a dead halt. He stopped and noticed that her eyes were clamped shut, her teeth bared and her hands clutching either side of her head. "Zelda?"

"Someone's talking to me!" she exclaimed, sinking to her knees. "Where's that voice coming from!"

_Stop…_

"Why?"

_There's danger ahead…there's danger here…_

"No…can…escape…"

_Let me inside your head…show me where that Triforce is!_

The Princess could no longer speak; her head felt as if it had been split in two. **_I don't know where the Triforce is_, **she thought.

_You're lying!_

_**I'm not, I'm not…**_

_Then you are going to suffer at my hands. I'm going to kill you!_

Link jumped when Zelda suddenly let out a loud scream and sank completely to the dirt ground. He was instantly down beside her and she turned to rest her face on his shoulder. Link put an arm comfortingly around her and they were soon in a very tight embrace (once he had laid the torch down beside them). Her body was heaving slightly with small sobs.

"Zelda, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Ganondorf…he was talking t-to me," she said, shivering. "Telepathically—he said he wants to kill me…but that shouldn't have worried me, I know he wants me dead… it must be that I've never heard him say that to me in person before…"

Link was at a loss for words, so he merely massaged her back gently. "I'm … sorry about that, Zel."

"I'll be okay," she said, though her tears might've implied otherwise. She closed her eyes and laid a light kiss on his ear. "Come on, let's…let's get going."

"We can stop for a minute," Link said with concern as they slowly stood up.

"No," Zelda muttered, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. "No, we've wasted enough time." She continued to walk , but she was stopped when Link took hold of her elbow. The Princess looked back at him questioningly.

Link pulled himself closer to her and kissed her on the mouth. She sighed, closing her eyes again and hugging him tightly. Briefly her tongue penetrated his open mouth and they stood there loving each other, while the torch threw light on them from where it lay on the ground.

The Princess drew back first, casting her look downwards. "Let's go, Link," she said in a firm voice.

The warrior silently acquiesced and bent down to pick up the torch. As they continued on, he took Zelda's hand and did not let go. A smile played briefly on her lips before her expression became serious again.

A/N: You like? At all? Did this suck horribly? Please review and let me know!


End file.
